


Dancing to the beat of the rain

by QueenGeekRose



Series: YouTuber  Fictions [5]
Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Funny, Just Friends, Mark is a tease, Plot Twists, Reader is a flirt, Reader-Insert, Sexy, Slow Build, shy reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-18 15:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 67,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7320373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenGeekRose/pseuds/QueenGeekRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You have just moved to California because you were supposed to have a job at Google.  Your new neighborhood has some faces you recognize from YouTube.  When you make some new friends, your life is in for some major shaking up and some monumental changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rain drops keep falling on my head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First impressions are important.

It all started with a rainy day when I forgot my umbrella. I was in a hurry and I had parked close, so I didn't even think twice about it. Before I knew it, that one decision changed my life. I'll never look at umbrellas or the rain the same way again. I was running late for work at the crappy little cafe I worked at. I had just moved to California from my hometown in Pennsylvania, and this was a temporary job until I could find something better paying and in my field of interest, animation and video games. I had a few leads, but I hadn't had time to check them out yet, having only been in California for two weeks so far. I was staying with my best friend, who had moved here a few years ago, but I wanted to get my own place as soon as possible. I hated being a mooch or having to rely on other people for things if I could avoid it. Sandy, my friend, was engaged to be married in a few months and I was helping plan the wedding, but I still felt like if I weren't there, she would be doing things differently. Her fiance was out of town on business for an extended stay, or I would have felt even more awkward. I had vowed to have enough money saved to be out of there by the time he got back in two weeks. So far, I was doing okay. Between working a crazy number of hours and picking up extra shifts whenever they were available, I had already managed to save up just over five hundred dollars, plus tip money, which is what i was using to help with bills and live off of right now. Sure I was a little frazzled and stressed, but I could handle it. 

I got inside just as the cook, Jake, started looking for me. He raised an eyebrow. "You're cutting it awfully close. Another minute and I would have had to say you were late and dock your pay. The only reason I'm not today is because I know you worked a double shift yesterday and didn't get out of here until pretty late. Now go wash up and start taking orders. Cindy didn't show up again." I groaned. Cindy was supposed to be the hostess and main waitress today. I was supposed to be helping with food prep, acting as a line cook. I only waited tables if things were desperate. As soon as I stepped into the back, I saw they were very desperate indeed. Our boss, Stephen, the manager and owner of the cafe, was not in his office like normally he would be at this time of day. Oh, no. He was out acting as the door greeter and host, seating customers and filling coffee cups, taking drink orders, and generally getting things running until the wait staff could get in. I grabbed an apron, pad of paper, and pencil as soon as I was washed up. I started getting food orders back to the kitchen within minutes. Fortunately, I was a fast and reliable waitress, even if I absolutely hated doing it. I could take several peoples orders at once and not mess them up, so I was able to get things caught up quickly. Since it was the breakfast crowd, the food was out of the kitchen pretty quickly. Our menu was not huge, but the food was well made and tasty. 

After the morning rush was over, I looked over at Stephen. He was not looking happy. He gestured me back to the back, letting the other waitress who had gotten here, Lucy, cover for me. There were only two people here, so I figured she could manage. I followed Stephen back to his office. "What's wrong boss?" I asked, somewhat nervously.

"It came to my attention this morning that you have been working too many shift lately. Every time there is an opening, you take it. While I appreciate your enthusiasm, we do have limits on how many hours you can work. Also, I need to check something with you. When I called Cindy this morning, asking where she was, she informed me you had volunteered to cover for her this morning. I didn't completely believe her, but then you came in to work, so I wondered. I checked the schedule and you weren't originally on there. Were you supposed to cover her shift?" 

I shook my head. "Honestly Stephen, I had no idea until I got here she wouldn't be in today. Jake told me. I was supposed to be covering line cook duties for Alec today. Tommy, the cook last night, told me they could use me today, so I agreed to the extra hours."

Stephen did not look any happier. He sighed and let me leave, telling me I could finish my shift today, but then I was to go home until Monday. I had worked more hours than I was allowed to for the week. Since it was Thursday, I was surprised. Usually weekends were hard to get time off for, from what everyone had told me. Being the new employee, I was on weekend hours. I looked at the clock. I was supposed to be here for another double shift, with the second one starting in two hours, but I knew Stephen would get very angry if I stayed. I slipped back out to the main area and resumed working until my shift was over. I went back to double check I was still supposed to leave, which Stephen confirmed. I felt a little bad for leaving when we were so short staffed, but what could I do? It was still pouring buckets when I left. I love rain, so I was in no particular hurry to get to my car this time. I stepped out and let the cool water flow down, washing away my stress and the smell of stale coffee and too much fried food. I lingered in the parking lot, just looking up and down the street, watching people pelt down the sideways or hunch under umbrellas, trying to stay as dry ask possible. After a few minutes, I saw a man walking down the street, his hands in his pockets, looking as interested in his surroundings as I was. He either didn't notice the rain, or didn't care. He had a lot of longer dark hair, which was soaked completely and streaming water down his back, and he was quite tall and good looking. 

As I watched, the man started dancing slightly, bobbing his head and just swaying a little as he walked. I wondered if he had headphones in his ears that I couldn't see from here or if it was just music in his own head. I was curious, but didn't realize I was staring, until he looked up and grinned at me. I blushed as he walked over towards me. When he spoke, his voice was soft and sexy. "Hey, I thought I was the only one who liked hanging out in the rain. My name is Dan, what's yours?"

"I'm [Y/n]. Hi Dan." I looked up at his face. His eyes were absolutely amazing. "I have always loved the rain. I just got done with work and the rain is helping get rid of the stress of the day." I smiled, a little hesitantly.

Dan smiled back at me. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Where do you work, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

I made a face. "Well, right now at the diner, here, but it's hardly my dream job, or even one I am particularly trained for. I'm an animator and video game designer. I just haven't found a job out here in California doing that yet. I just moved here."

Dan raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Impressive. I love video games. Hey, why don't we go someplace and talk. I like the rain and all, but it's a little chilly out here and I don't want to get sick." I agreed and we headed back into the diner. 


	2. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Dan are getting to know each other in the diner.

Lucy grinned at me when we came in, offering us a seat in the corner, by the big windows so we could watch the rain. she knew how much I loved it and that it's didn't rain often enough for me out here in LA, hearing my frequent grumbles about it. She immediately came over with a cup of hot tea for me and the pot of coffee, offering it to Dan. He accepted and was looking over the menu while I ordered a plate of spicy chili cheese fries, asking for extra jalapenos. Lucy winked at me and told me she would tell Jake it was for me. I smiled and thanked her, asking if she was going to have to cover some of the extra shifts this weekend. She smiled and shook her head. "Stephen called Cindy and told her she had to cover most of them or she was out on her a- butt." She looked at Dan, changing her wording so as not to offend him, but he just grinned. 

"Why would this Cindy be out on her ass?"

It was my turn to grin. "She's been skipping work for the last week and a half. Today she claimed I was supposed to cover for her, telling our boss she had already cleared it with me, but she never spoke to me at all. I was here covering for someone else. The boss was, shall we say, a bit annoyed."

Lucy laughed. "Yeah, the same was the grand canyon is a bit of a deep hole. Oh, he was losing it. He was also annoyed that he couldn't call you in all weekend. what happened? I thought you needed the extra shifts?"

I rolled my eyes. "I do. Apparently, there is a ceiling for how many hours you can work in a week and I went over. Like maybe way over, from Stephens reaction. I don't get it to be honest, but then I'm not a manager, so what do I know. Maybe there's an actual law against it?"

Dan nodded. "Actually, yeah, in California there is. For certain jobs, at least."

I rolled my eyes again. "Perfect. Just what I needed, to break the law. At least my paycheck will be good. Tips haven't been too bad either." I sighed. "I guess tomorrow is job search day. I gotta get out of food service as soon as I can. Do you know of anyone hiring in the tech industry, either of you? I'm getting desperate, I'll even take a job doing help desk calls before long. And I hate answering phones even more than I hate waiting tables." 

Lucy grinned and shook her head. "Sorry. I'm a waitress, through and through. I can't help you at all."

Dan looked thoughtful for a few minutes before saying anything. "I actually might know of a job. Can you get me some samples of your work today? The animation stuff I mean. Let me make a phone call." He looked at Lucy. "And I'll take a double cheeseburger and some chili cheese fries." Dan stood up, smiling, reminding me exactly how tall he really was as he stretched a little and looked for a quiet corner. Fortunately, the diner was pretty much empty and we had a secluded area where people could wait either to be seated or for to go orders. Lucy took him over to make his call and tell Jake our food orders. I just hoped for Dan's sake, the two orders of fries didn't get confused. 

I stared out the window, watching the trails of rain run down the pane as I waited. Stephen came out of the back again to see if Lucy needed any help, and scowled when he saw me, heading over to the table. He paused when he saw the second cup on the table and looked around, searching for something. When he didn't see anyone else here, he walked over to me with a small shrug. "I told you to go home. We got this covered."

I looked up at him, frowning. Dan stepped over. "Excuse me, you're blocking my seat."

Stephen looked startled. "Stephen, I'm here with someone else, not working. I'll talk to you next week, okay?" He nodded, still looking unhappy and walked behind the counter, just as Lucy came out of the kitchen. She had plates of food for another table balanced on a tray and narrowly missed colliding with Stephen. Dan grinned at me as he watched Lucy rebalance the tray and not spill a drop of the soup or drinks. She gave Stephen a dirty look and took the food to another table, the only other one with guests. I watched for a second before turning my focus back to Dan and his killer grin. "Sorry about that. That's my boss, Stephen. Not the most charming man in the world. So, about that possible job. What is it for? You mentioned my animation, so I'm assuming it plays a role of some type?"

Dan nodded. "Yeah. I just called Arin, the man you'll be interviewing with, and he said we could definitely use another animator at work. Now here's the big question. Do you edit videos?"

I looked at him, surprised. "Well, I can, I suppose. I took classes on it in college and all, but I've never done it professionally if that's what you're asking. I'd certainly be willing to learn more, if I needed to." I looked at him. "I moved out here because I was supposed to have a job at Google, but when I called about it right after I got all moved out here to find out where I was supposed to go for my first day, they told me the position was no longer required. An unpaid intern is doing it now instead. So now, I'm couch surfing with a friend, trying to find a better job while working ungodly hours here to make enough money to move out and start fresh, and looking for an apartment all at the same time. So, yeah, if there's a job, I'll take it if someone is willing to hire me. I'm a really hard worker and a fast learner. I was a straight A student in college and have a degree in computer animation and design. I can also build computers and repair just about any electronic machine. I have my A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications, as well as a few Microsoft certifications. I was working technical support part time and game design for a couple of companies near Philadelphia, but I hated the tech support. The game design was so few hours I couldn't live off it and I really felt like it wasn't going anywhere either. I was doing animations on my own and posting them on the web, but, well, not making any money because I honestly had no idea how to get paid for that kind of thing. I made some fan based animations for a few friends who have small YouTube channels and even a few things I never put out for some of the bigger YouTubers I watch. But enough about me, what do you do Dan? I feel like I've heard your voice before, but I just can't place where." 

Dan smiled at me. "You might have. Actually, I do YouTube videos myself and am in a couple of bands."

I looked at him closer. Suddenly, it clicked in my brain. "You're Danny Sexbang, aren't you? From Starbomb and NSP? Oh god. I've watched all the videos and I never even recognized you. I'm such an idiot." I smacked myself on the forehead.

Dan grabbed my hand. "Hey now, cut that out. Don't worry, it's fine. Actually, it was kind of nice not to get recognized. And I'm glad you like my music. And my name is Dan Avidan, or Danny if you prefer. Danny Sexbang is just my stage name, you know, for when I perform." He looked at me again, still holding my hand. "Are you okay now? Don't beat yourself up please. I hate to see pretty girls getting upset, and really hate to see anyone hurt themselves. You still have a red hand mark on your forehead where you smacked yourself you know."

I smiled ruefully. "Sorry. I got a little carried away. I'm okay now though, I promise. No more smacking myself around, even if I need it. I can't believe I didn't realize who you were sooner." I swallowed. "Am I keeping you from something else? Oh jeez, you're probably really busy and just stopped to talk to me because I was staring like a loser at random people in the rain." I shook my head, feeling defeated, and lowered it down onto the tabletop.

Dan looked at me. "You have some confidence issues. No, I don't have anywhere else to be today. Arin sent me home after we finished filming for the day and told me I needed to take a break from working. That's why I was out walking in the rain. I was trying to clear my head. And actually, I thought you looked adorable outside, just enjoying the rain, smiling and looking at people as they walked by. I was intrigued. Most people rush around like crazy when it rains, trying to evade the wet, but you were just soaking it in, like you thought it might never come again and you missed it."

I smiled, lifting my head back up and looking out at the rain again. "Well, that's actually true. It rains a lot more where I'm from. This is the first proper rain I've seen since I moved to LA. I thought it was just always sunny and hot. I don't mind the heat, mostly, but I really miss the rain. Everything was so much greener. And the smell of the ground after a good rain? One of my all time favorite smells. It's so relaxing. And the sound of rain on the roof and windows? I use it to go to sleep at night. I miss it so much I had to get a CD to play of those sounds, just because it helps me sleep." I looked down at the table for a few seconds. "And yeah, you're also right about not being very confident. I've had a few really rough years and some bad breakups that really shook me to my core, and now I have issues. Sorry." I felt like an idiot, constantly apologizing for everything, and really feeling like I need to. Maybe Dan could let it be?

"Well, stop apologizing. I understand exactly what you mean about the rain. I miss it too. I grew up in New Jersey and we always got plenty of rain and storms too. LA usually gets it's fair share, but we're having a little bit of a drought this year, so it's been a few weeks since it rained last." He looked at me, closer. "You know, I'm really sorry to hear you've had a rough time. Maybe a new start will be a good thing."

I nodded, still watching the rain. Lucy, suddenly appeared with our food. Dan let my hand go as Lucy put his burger and fries down. I was relieved to see Jake had put no extra peppers on Dan's food and the fries were directly on the plate with the burger, lessening the possibility of mix up. Lucy put my plate down, carefully, and asked us if we needed anything else. "Yeah, I could use a chocolate banana shake, please Lucy. How about you Dan? Want a crazy tasty shake, my treat? We mix any of the flavors of ice cream on the board for a custom shake that's pretty killer. A lot of people go for the peanut butter chocolate combo, which I hear is quite good." 

He smiled at me again. "Sure, I'll try one. Uh, how about the cookies and cream and mint chocolate chip? That sounds pretty good to me. and why haven't you tried the peanut butter chocolate if it's so good?"

I made a face. "Because I like breathing. I'm allergic to peanuts. Your choice sounds good thought too. Actually, Luce, can you change it from chocolate to cookies and cream with the banana for me? Thanks!" Lucy grinned and stepped away, smiling. I looked down at my plate of fries and grinned. There was plenty of peppers and a good dose of hot sauce on everything as well. I dug in happily. Dan saw my smile and smiled as well.

"You have a gorgeous smile, [y/n]. You should smile like that more often. Your whole face just lights up. And I'm going to pay for my own food."

I looked at him and laughed. "If you must, but i wish you'd let me take care of the bill. You could get the tip."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Why? Didn't you say money was tight for you right now?"

I chuckled a little more. "Yeah, but I eat free here, within reason, and so does anyone I bring as long as I don't go crazy. We get a certain amount per hour we earn as food points, above our pay, and I've got way more than I could use in a year. I hardly ever eat here, other than the occasional plate of chili cheese fries and shake, and they are the least expensive things on the menu." I grinned at him. "Burgers are pretty cheap too."

He grinned back. "Well, alright then. You can buy me lunch and I'll help you get a job. We can head over to the office as soon as we're done eating, unless you need to get your computer, for the animations or resume?"

I kept smiling. "Nope. It's all online, I can pull it up on any computer. Even my private ones are in a digital dropbox to free up space on my computer's hard drive and saved to a cloud in case the dropbox file won't open."

"Smart. But you did say you worked tech support so I'm sure you ran into those kinds of problems before."

"Oh yeah. All the time. File backups and corrupted file were probably the two biggest problems we ran into. And it's a real bitch when a video file corrupts. Usually, I can recover it, but it can take hours. But it's better than having to redo everything all the time."

Dan grinned. "Arin's going to like you. He feels the same way, but he doesn't have the tech skills to recover files very well. Actually, when we have an issue at the office, we have to wait until someone can come out and look at things most of the time, if it's major."

I looked at him again, tilting my head slightly. "For NSP?"

Dan shook his head, still grinning and ate a few fries. "No, Game Grumps. That's my main job."

I blinked. I had, of course, heard of Game Grumps, but I never watched their channel before. Some of my friends recommended them highly, but I had so many other YouTubers I watched and not enough time to watch everything as it was. Do I admit that to Dan though? Yeah, I guess I better fess up. "Actually Dan, I've never, um, seen any Game Grumps stuff. I mean I know what the channel is, but I've never seen it. I have so many other channels I watch and not nearly enough time to keep up with them as it is, that I haven't gotten to that channel yet. I swear, I was going to. I have some friends who are huge fans and insist I should watch, even trying to get me to with them, but I just never have the time." I blushed. "I feel bad now. You're an awesome guy."

Dan chuckled. "Hey, don't feel bad. I have a whole bunch of people I want to watch and never get to either. When you're busy, you're busy. And moving across the country, starting any new job, looking for a job, working a lot of hours, or looking for an apartment would be enough to keep anyone busy, let alone doing all of them at once. I'd be dead on my feet if I tried all that."

I smiled at him again, just as our shakes got here. "Thanks Lucy. And I'm covering the meal." I looked at our food. "Eight points right?"

She looked at it and did a mental count. "Nope, six. The tea and coffee don't count, burgers and fries are a three point meal, fries are one, shakes are one each. I'll make the notes on the board." I smiled wider. I forgot tea and coffee were automatically covered. We only charged a dollar anyway, and it was creating a lot of hard feelings when we had to spend points or pay for our own, or so I had heard. Lucy walked off, making notes, after checking everything was good with us.

I took a sip of my shake. Oh. My. GOD. This was amazing. The best flavor combo I had ever had. The banana ice cream was always my go to flavor, being rich, creamy, and sweet without being cloying or overpowering. The cookies and cream added a hint of chocolate and lots of extra creamy goodness to the banana flavor, enhancing it. It was truly a killer shake. I dug into my fries after a few more sips of the shake, going for the hot food to prevent brain freeze. The salty, spicy fries were a fantastic contrast to the sweet, creamy shake and I ate a little faster than I normally would have. I also ate more than I realized, suddenly reaching the end of my food. Where had the mountain of fries gone? Did I really eat that many? I looked at my shake. It was nearly gone as well. I shook my head, looking at Dan, who was eating his food and watching me with interest. "Hungry? I don't know when I saw someone attack their food that way last. You looked like you forgot to eat yesterday and today." I blushed, hard. "Uh oh. When was the last time you actually sat down and ate a meal?"

"Uh, I had some cold pizza yesterday before i worked a fourteen hour shift. I ate a handful of carrots and celery yesterday afternoon on my break and had about a gallon of tea. Oh, and I had an ice cream cone when I was done with work last night. And a banana this morning before I worked first shift."

Dan laughed. "No wonder you attacked your food. Order something else to go, while I finish. I won't be long, and I think you need it. You were completely right about the shakes here though. They are amazing. I'm going to tell everybody else at work about this place for sure. Do you guys deliver?"

I laughed. "Sometimes, for large orders, to close by places." I stood up. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go order some food to go and use the restroom."

Dan nodded and focused on his burger. Suddenly, a burger sounded amazing. I walked over to the counter, where Lucy was wiping down a spill from the leaking coffee pot and grinned at her. "Hey Lucy, that shake was amazing. Actually, I'm going to want a to go order too. I just realized how hungry I am."

She laughed. "About freaking time. You never eat when you're working and you're ALWAYS working. So what do you want other than another shake to go?"

I giggled. "Actually, two more of those banana and cookies and cream shakes to go please. And a burger with extra pickle, no onion, side of house chips, and a big salad, no onions please. Italian or the vinaigrette please, extra dressing on the side."

Lucy nodded. "You want a spicy cheeseburger, double burger, or double cheeseburger?"

I thought for a second. "Spicy double cheeseburger, hold the condiments. I'll eat it at home, and I can add whatever there. Thanks Lucy, you're a star!"

She grinned at me again. "It's good to see you actually eating instead of just overworking. I'm throwing in some dessert too, but no worries, there won't be any peanuts. How does pie sound?"

"Really good. Or the blackberry tart. Ooh, with the white chocolate blackberry creme frozen yogurt. Yum." I stepped back. "Just put everything on my points chart. Listen I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a few." I stepped away from the counter and headed for the bathroom, my purse slung over my shoulder. When I got in there, I was glad I had it, as my period had started. I was extremely glad I had the weekend off now. I took care of things, and neatened myself up before heading back to the table with Dan.

He had nearly finished his burger and fries when I got back. I smiled at him as I sat down. "Better?" he asked. 

"Yeah, thanks. I didn't mean to take so long. Sorry about that."

Dan waved a hand, his long arms and hands moving expressively, even with that simple gesture. "No worries. It gave me the chance to eat. Your waitress friend came over to leave the message that the food will be out in about five minutes. I hope to be done by then, but I might need a cup for the rest of the shake. It's good and I don't want to waste it, but I'm pretty full without finishing it. Honestly, I kind of wish I had a little box for the rest of the burger and fries."

I winked at him. "I can manage that. Hang on a second." I went over to the counter and leaned over, grabbing one of the little to go boxes, before racing back to the table. Technically, I wasn't supposed to do that, but Lucy was back in the kitchen and no one was here but Dan and I, so I figured I was safe. I didn't want to walk all the way around the counter to get a box, not when I could reach them by just leaning over a little extra, even if it meant a few second with my butt in the air and my feet off the floor. I got back to the table and handed the box to Dan. "Here ya go!"

Dan grinned at me. "Cute. You have a really cute butt by the way." I blushed scarlet. "You won't get in trouble for that will you? Stealing a box?"

I shook my head, still blushing. "No, you could have asked Lucy for one. Sorry about the butt in the air thing. I know I'm not supposed to do that, but I really didn't want to walk all the way around."

Dan looked at me, temporarily stopped from loading his leftover food in the box. "Who's complaining? All I said was you have a cute butt. It was just an observation." He grinned at me again. "Now all I need is a to go cup." 

I laughed. "Oh all right." I walked to the end of the counter and grabbed a cup and lid, not having to lean over at all. Dan watched and pouted as I walked back. "What?"

"I didn't get to see your butt again. I'm so disappointed." He transferred his remaining shake to the cup and added the lid, grabbing an extra straw from the table side dispenser.

I laughed and gently swatted his arm. "You're terrible." Lucy walked up and handed me a bag with my food and two drinks. I thanked her. As Dan and I stood up to go, he left a sizable tip on the table. Lucy grinned, winked at me, and mouthed good luck. I smiled back and assumed she meant with the job, so I gave her a thumbs up from around the side of my milkshake cup. Dan and I walked back out into the rain and I walked over to my car, loading the food and one of the drinks into the back seat, using the rear cup holder for the shake. Then I closed the door and climbed in the front, next to Dan, putting the second shake in the front after taking a long sip and smiling. "So where am I driving to?"

Dan gave me directions and I blinked. We were only a few blocks away. I drove over and parked where he told me. He got out, taking his food and drink with him and I followed him, waiting as he let me in the building and lead me up to the Game Grump office space. I looked around. It was pretty amazing. Arin saw us come in and came over to talk to Dan and I. It was showtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I promise the next one won't take a month. 
> 
> On another note, My Jack X Reader is up now, with three chapters and a fourth is on the way. My Mark X Reader is being updated fairly regularly, and my main book, the poly story between Jack, Mark, and the reader, is still getting updated nearly every day.


	3. Hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to meet the Game Grumps

I was very nervous as Arin approached. He had a slightly grumpy expression, but as soon as he got close enough he stuck out his hand for a handshake. I took it and shook, wishing my hands weren't slightly sweaty from nerves and that I didn't smell like grease and diner food. "So, Dan told me you do animation and your name is [Y/N], right? What have you done that I might have seen? And what else can you do?" 

I swallowed but before I could answer, Dan spoke up. "Jesus Christ Arin! You could be a little friendlier. For gods sake, I just dragged her here after a full week of work at a crappy job in a diner. Oh, and by the way, you have got to try their food. It's amazing. The milkshakes are life changing."

Arin scowled at Dan. "Why did you have to tell me that? I'm starving! I haven't been able to get away at all today. One of the computers crashed after you left, Danny, and we have spent the last two hours trying to recover the damn files. It looks like they are just gone though, so we are going to have to rerecord all that shit."

I tried to hide a grin as I turned to Dan, whispering in his ear. "Hey, Dan, can you run down to my car and grab the spare shake out of the rear cupholder. Maybe some food will help Arin feel better. While you're gone I'm going to see if he'll let me look at the computer to see if I can get the files back."

Dan grinned and grabbed my keys from me, calling over his shoulder to Arin, "Hey dude, let [y/n] look at the computer. I'll be back in a second."

Arin looked at me again. "Why would Danny want me to let you look at the computer? I thought you are an animator."

I smiled at him. "I am. But I've also got A+, Network+, Security+, several Microsoft certifications, a degree in Computer Animation and Design, and several year experience as a level two help desk technician. I just don't like doing that stuff all the time. I prefer animation, or game design, which I also have some work experience in from a few companies in the Philadelphia area, part time. Do you want me to see if I can do anything to recover the files?" 

Arin looked a little less grouchy. "Can't hurt. The computer crashed while the video editor was open and corrupted the files. Unfortunately, they are the only ones effected, but they are the videos from today, and we shot a lot of footage today."

I nodded. "And you don't want to have to redo everything if anyone can possibly recover it. Got it. Lead the way. I'll see what I can do." Arin lead me to a desk, had me sit down, and introduced me to Brian, whose computer had been the one to crash today. I got to work, looking at the files. It wasn't as bad as I feared and I was fairly sure I would be able to restore at least ninety five percent of the video. I logged on to a website for the software I used to recover corrupt videos and downloaded a copy, using my username and password information. Since I had already bought it, I would have use of it on any machine, as long as I logged in with my password every time I used it. Anyone who tried without that would get a sixty day free trial version. I uploaded the files to the recovery software and let it work. On the first pass, seventy six percent of the file was fixed and removed from the corrupted version, saved as the same file name with a underscore fixed and the letter a afterward. I immediately put it on a flash drive, so there was a backup. Then I ran it through another pass and was pleased to see another large chunk had been fixed. One more pass completely recovered the file. Now the pieces just had to be reassembled. I handed the fixed file over to Brian, stood up, stepped away from the computer so Brian could work again, and turned back to Arin. "Done. Sorry it took so long. This software is worth every penny I have ever spent on it. I can't tell you how many hours of redoing the same work it has saved me, and it can restore more than just video files. It can do any file type, even operating system files. And CDs, DVDs, and portable media."

Arin was grinning at me now. Dan had rejoined us and was watching me work, without me realizing he was there. Arin had downed the shake with almost lightening speed and looked a lot less out of sorts. "Well, that alone is enough to get you consideration for hire. We need someone who can do tech repair on the fly. We're all fairly good, but if we have someone on staff who is professionally trained, we don't have to wait for the tech support people when something major happens. And you said you do animations. Do you have any samples, by any chance?"

I smiled. "Sure, give me a minute to pull up my channel on YouTube, my personal dropbox, and log into my cloud storage. That way you can see what I'm working on, what I've got posted, and what I've done but haven't posted for one reason or another. I can also give you a copy of my resume from my cloud if there's a printer installed on the machine I log into. What computer should I use?"

Arin lead me to a desk. He gestured at the desktop. I logged in and dropped the files directly to the computer for the resume, partial projects and private files. Then I logged back out and loaded YouTube, pulling up my username, and stepping back. I gestured for him to sit down and look through everything and went back to the other side of the desk to sit in the chair across from him. Dan had given Arin the remainder of his fries and burger when he handed over my shake, explaining where it was from while I had been working on restoring the files. I let my mind wander a little while Arin and Dan looked over my animation. Dan was really a great guy, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was single, or just a natural flirt. None of the comments he had made, no matter how heavy the innuendo, were really anything other than harmless flirting, and I wasn't about to make any assumptions. I could hope and wish he was single all I wanted in the privacy of my own brain, but until I knew for a fact that he didn't have a girlfriend, or for that matter, a boyfriend, or a spouse at home, I was just going to enjoy flirting back, mildly, and have fun making a new friend, I hoped. I also thought Arin was turning out to be a nice guy, even if he was a bit grouchy when he was hungry. I made a mental note to add the diner to speed dial if I got the job here. I also made a mental note to see if Arin liked spicy food before I offered to prepare any food for him. I had made that mistake before, ending a friendship accidentally who someone ate something I had made for myself and they couldn't handle the spice, and ended up blaming me for an aggravated ulcer they didn't know they had when it started bleeding the next day. I looked back over at Arin and Dan, realizing how much time had past while my mind wandered elsewhere. They were grinning broadly as they watched another video. I listened for a minute and smiled. It was one of my private videos, an animation I had made for Markiplier's channel, that I was hoping to post for his next big milestone, fifteen million subscribers. I also have videos for JackSepticEye in that folder and a few that were for books I had read, creating the artwork solely from descriptions in the text and adding my own voice as the narrator. After the Markiplier video was over they both looked up at me and grinned. Arin stood up and walked around the desk, leaning against the front of it to talk to me better. "Those were really good and well edited. Now, why haven't you released the video for Mark? I know for a fact he would love it. If you want, you could ask him yourself. I think he might still be here working on his recording stuff." 

I blushed slightly. "Actually, I was going to post it for his next big milestone, fifteen million. I have videos for JackSepticEye too, also for milestones. And several other channels I watch. I don't know if you noticed, but most of what I have released was originally scripted work, and I did the voice work for it. I'm a little nervous about putting out something based on someone else's stuff in case they hate it. Oh, and I have a whole bunch of animations for books I have read or have been reading, which I do all the voice work for as well."

Arin raised an eyebrow. "Well, all I can say is, you're very versatile then. And we could definitely use your talents. Have you ever done any video editing?" 

I shook my head. "Not really. I could learn it if you need me too, and I took a few college classes on it, but I'm not fast or particularly knowledgeable." I bit my lip and looked down. Suddenly, another one of my talents came to mind, so i looked back up. "I can do a lot with sound mixing, photography, camera work, and fix just about anything electrical though." I held my breath slightly, worried that all my efforts wouldn't be enough.

Arin nodded and walked back around to Dan, whispering something to him. Dan nodded and walked away. Arin turned back to me. "Well, let me look over a few more of these videos and take a peek at your resume. I do have to say though you are a very good candidate for the job, and maybe even a job we didn't advertise yet." He settled back in front of his computer and started playing another video, one based off a fantasy novel I had read. I sat back in the seat and tried to relax, closing my eyes to clear my head and give myself a better mental head space. When I heard the video nearing the end, I opened my eyes and saw Dan coming back over, bringing someone else. It took me a few seconds to realize it was Markiplier. I blushed and tried to behave normally, not hyperventilate and fangirl all over him. Arin grinned when he looked up and saw Mark. "Perfect timing. Hey, buddy, I have to show you something." He clicked open the video with Markiplier's name on it. "Watch this Mark, and tell me what you think." He stood up while the video loaded and buffered, waiting to play it until it was completely finished. Mark sat down in the chair behind the desk, looking curious. I was still blushing. I had never made a video about someone and had them watch it for the very first time in front of me before. My emotions were mixed up, a confusing mix of shyness, excitement, nerves, and fear of disappointing a hero. Dan caught my eye as the video started and winked at me, smiling widely. I blinked and smiled tentatively back. Dan smile became a grin and he gave me a thumbs up. Mark watched intently, and Arin stood next to him, arms crossed as he watched again, almost critically. 

When it was over Mark looked up. "That was amazing. Where did you find this Arin? I would love to pay whoever made it to make some more animations for me. They have a real talent and that captured so many emotions. I'm honestly blown away." Instead of making me feel more at ease, this had the effect of making me blush harder, so much harder in fact I felt like my whole head was going to catch fire and explode.

Arin chuckled. "Well Mark, the creator of that video is the woman sitting in the chair over there, blushing the color of your last hair dye job. I guess she's shy. I'm thinking we should hire her to work for the Grumps. She also does computer stuff, can do sound mixing, and created a bunch of originally scripted animations she did the vocals for as well. She sounds like she could be a voice actor if she tried."

Mark came around to shake my hand and introduce himself properly. I stood up and shook his hand, nerves running amok. He smiled warmly at me, also looking slightly startled when I actually stood up straight. "Hello, I'm Mark, but I suspect you already knew that. I love your animation by the way. Have you already released it? I haven't seen it anywhere online yet."

"Hi. I'm [y/n]. And yeah, I knew who you are right away. The video is supposed to be for your next big milestone, fifteen million. I'm glad you like it." I said it quietly, but I knew he could hear me.

He grinned at me. "It's amazing. Like I told Arin, I definitely want to hire you to do more animation for me." I blushed again and nodded, feeling flattered. I quickly sat back down. Waiting to hear about the job with the Game Grumps. I turned back to Arin and Dan. They were both grinning and hiding amusement. I had no idea what was going on. Mark turned around and caught their expression, making a rude gesture, which surprised a chuckle out of me. 

All three men laughed as well. Arin looked over at me again. "I like you. You have a good sense of humor too, and even though I was acting like a bear earlier, you didn't get upset or angry, you just did what you needed to. Oh, and you gave me food, always a good plan when I get like that." Dan and Mark laughed again. I ducked my head, grinning a little. "It also amused Danny and I to see you were so tall, that's why were trying to hide our amusement when you stood up next to Mark. When you were standing before, you didn't look quite so tall."

I giggled slightly. "Sorry, that's my own fault. I am tall, but my best friends have all been five feet one or shorter, so I have the habit of slouching and seeming shorter than I am to make them more comfortable. I'm actually about six feet one inch tall myself, so you can imagine what we look like running around together. Actually, when we were freshmen in high school my best friend was four foot eight and I was six feet tall, so yeah, I slouched a lot. We had a bunch of people tell us we looked like we should form a comedy duo, based solely on our appearance. We didn't take it badly though because we both have good senses of humor, but anyway, I try to hide my actual height most of the time. Oh, and I almost never wear heels."

The men all chuckled a little after I finished speaking. Arin came over to me and reached a hand out to shake it. "Welcome to the Game Grumps. You're going to fit right in. Now, do you mind if I have everyone watch some of your stuff? I can stream it to the smart TV, but I want them to get familiar with your style. And don't be surprised if everyone immediately starts bugging you to fix anything electronic that has a small issue, once they find out what you can do." I nodded understanding and acceptance for Arin to stream the videos to the TV and followed Dan to the TV area. I found a bean bag and folded myself down into it, making myself into as small a ball as I could. Dan looked startled.

"How did you do that? I swear you folded up like a card table. Now you look tiny. Why?"

I chuckled. "I sit like this all the time. Besides, now there's more room for everyone else." Dan shook his head, making his hair flop into his face. He flopped down on the oversized bean bag next to me. I grinned at his relaxed pose. "You look tired. Weren't you supposed to go home earlier? I'm sorry you ended up having to come back to get me an interview, although I'm really happy to have the job." 

Dan grinned at me. "Actually, Arin just wanted me to leave to go eat and clear my head. I was supposed to come back and work this afternoon anyway. But this way, I got to bring you in as the newest member of the team. And you rescued all the work we did earlier, so we might not even have to stay late tonight." He shifted slightly so he was sitting up next to me, instead of laying face first in the bean bag. "You know, you're really easy to talk to. I like you. Do you play video games?" 

I laughed out loud, drawing the attention of the group of people headed over towards us. Arin was in the lead and he grinned. Dan looked a little surprised again. "Of course I play video games. Probably ninety percent of the YouTube I watch is game related or gamers doing Let's plays. You should see my Twitter feed. Games and game references for days."

Dan grinned again. "Oh, you really will fit right in around here. And you have a gorgeous laugh by the way." I blushed slightly again and watched the approaching people, slightly concerned. Mark was there as well and he sat down on the couch almost immediately. Arin brought everyone else over to meet me. He introduced them one at a time, Barry, Ross, Suzy, Brian, Jack Walsh, Vernon, Kevin, Brent, and Graham. I smiled and greeted each of them, but stayed where I was for now, because I wasn't sure if I could unfold myself without flailing around and hitting Dan several times. They all seemed okay with me not getting up though and were very friendly.

Suzy in particular grinned when she shook my hand. "It will be nice to have another female face around here on a daily basis. It can get a bit testosterone crazed at times. And I'm always glad to meet a fellow woman who games and isn't ashamed of it." 

I smiled at her. "Yeah, I wear my geekdom with pride. Heh, you should see how I usually dress on my days off. I'm only wearing this outfit today because I was working my crappy waitress job before I came here to interview for the job, which I didn't know about until Dan stopped to talk to the crazy girl standing in the rain watching people walk by. Then we walked in the diner, sat down and got some hot food and drinks, and talked some more. After I mentioned I was going to spend tomorrow job hunting, and what my actual fields of interest and experience were, Dan called Arin and here I am. Slightly bedraggled, smelling like a greasy spoon, and tired from overworking as a waitress this week." I shook my head. "Sorry. I'm babbling, most because I'm nervous about seeing the reactions of people face to face after they watch my animations. I honestly thought I was going to pass out a few minutes ago when Mark watched the animation I made for him for his next big subscriber milestone." I blushed slightly as everyone looked at me, Mark included. I hadn't seen him standing behind Arin and Brian. 

Dan patted my shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, we had no idea. I just thought you were nervous about the job interview." Arin nodded. 

Mark grinned at me. "I knew you were uncomfortable, but I thought maybe you were trying not to fangirl all over me." I laughed again. It was true, but I didn't have to tell him that. My laugh made everyone but Mark grin. He looked a little embarrassed. "What? It happens."

Arin patted Mark on the shoulder. "I think we are all more amused that you automatically assumed that was what was going on. No ego for the Great Markiplier, right?" He turned to look at the other Grumps who were grinning. He turned back to me. "So, any particular animations you want to show off? You know, ones you are especially proud of, or that show off a particularly good set of skills?"

I smiled sweetly. "Are you implying that I might have some sub-par videos lurking in my collection? Or just that some of them are lackluster?" Arin looked a little embarrassed, missing the teasing glint in my eyes. Suzy saw it and laughed. 

That made Arin catch on as well, and he grinned at me. "Oh, you really are going to fit right in around here. And wow, we better not play poker with you. You have a hell of a poker face there. Anyway, why don't I just give you control of the animation selection, that way you can chose whatever you want us to see. I only request that you show off at least one of your YouTuber inspired videos, one original video, and one based off a book, so we can see the full variety of what you can do. I would love it if you would show off some others as well and we would be more than willing to watch more than one or two of each category." He handed me a wireless mouse and I selected a video I had made as an originally scripted cartoon series, the first of three. After it finished, I played the other two parts, just so everyone could get the complete picture. I also played the partial animation I had for the next part, the one that I had about two minutes at the end to finish. After that, I played the Markiplier animation and one of the ones I had made for JackSepticEye. I stretched a little in my seat, starting to feel slightly cramped by the end of the of Jack's video. Then I played two videos from fantasy stories I had read that had particularly inspired me. As soon as the last one finished, I handed the mouse back to Arin. Then I looked around to see everyone's reactions. Arin grinned at me. "So how many people do you work with to do all the different voices and accents for your animations? I swear there must be at least seven people on your crew."

I blushed and grinned. "Nope. Just me. I just use a sound mixer to change the vocal range on a few of them. And I do all the accents myself. I have a pretty good vocal range and I sing regularly, which actually helps, but mostly I learned from listening to audio books and a few acting classes in high school and college. Actually, I tend to pick up accents when I hear them, and sometimes when I read them for an extended period of time. I have never had anyone to work with when I animated before, so that's why I do everything myself." I smiled as Arin looked slightly shocked. I put on a British accent and asked him. "What? Do you think I'm pulling your leg? I can do this all day and with a few of my accents, I can even sing convincingly." I switched to a deep low rumbling voice, sounding somehow menacing. "Or are you just surprised by my stupid talent?"

Dan laughed. "That's really impressive. What other accents can you do?"

I grinned, turning to him. "Oh, a fair number, especially if I hear them regularly, although I seem to have an affinity for Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Australian, and various British accents. And I know a load of slang from those parts of the world as well. I blame the fact that I read a lot of British and Australian books and authors and the fact that I was engaged for a while to a British guy." I shook my head, muttering a comment. "Too bad he turned out to be such a wanker." Jack, who was sitting close enough to hear cracked up and nearly fell out of the seat he was on. I blushed and turned to him. "Sorry. Should I have said something else? Tosser? Duffer? Berk? Fuckwit? Dill? Dongo? Piker? Dickhead? Douche Bag?"

Ross was now grinning as well and looking at me with interest. "Oh, yeah, you're going to be fun. You pepper in such lovely words from all over the world. I love that you started off with the British slang, switched to Australian and then ended with the American."

I was still grinning. Arin caught my attention again. "Well, that was certainly and interesting personal detail. So you can voice act, write, animate, sing, do accents and voices, repair computers, mix sound, and you play video games. Why do you not have a bigger YouTube channel?" 

I laughed. "Uh, I also create games and do digital design, network computers, and web design. Actually, my YouTube channel is still small because I just started it up a few months ago, as a way to get my animations a little more exposure. I'm honestly a little surprised to have as many subscribers as I have. Twenty two thousand seems like a lot for a channel that's only about three months old. And it's not like anyone big has really noticed my work and promoted it. That's usually what makes a channel really take off, right?"

Everyone there nodded. Dan spoke up voicing a further opinion. "Yeah, usually. Although, to be fair, I have seen a few channels really take off without any boosts from other bigger channels and YouTubers. But it's rare." I nodded too. 

Mark looked at me for a minute. "You know, [y/n], I was serious about wanting to hire you to do some animations for me. Just let me know when you have something ready and how much you charge. And I will definitely be mentioning you on my channel before then. You have a lot of talent." 

I blushed. "That's nice of you, but really you don't have to. I really don't worry about updating my channel all that often, only about twice a week, so I really don't mind having a smaller subscriber count. And like I said, twenty two thousand seems like a lot." I looked down at the floor, embarrassed and suddenly shy.

Mark shook his head at me. "That's not why I'm going to mention your channel. People need to see how good your content is. And honestly, twice a week isn't that bad, especially for an all animation channel. But I can wait to say anything until you make the first video for me. And don't think I'll forget and leave you alone about it either. Watching all these animations just proves to me how good you are. And your animation video for my channel is really amazing."

I looked up at him and answered in a very tiny voice, barely above a whisper. "Thank you." 

Dan leaned over to me and put an arm around me. "You really don't have to be so shy. Wait, is that why you hate working as a waitress and why you said you hated customer service?" I nodded, looking down at my hands, avoiding everyone's gaze. "So why can you do all the voices for your animations with no problem?"

Arin chuckled. "Dan, she can probably do that because she feels safe. Her channel is still small, so not a lot of people have heard her voice in connection with that and she does a lot of voices, not just one, so people probably assume, like we all did, that there is a bigger cast than just one person. Also, I can't help but realizing, even with all the different voices she did, not one of then is her real speaking voice, the one we have heard her using when she has been talking normally. Am I close?" I looked up at Arin, surprised and nodded, biting my lip. I hoped it wouldn't keep me from getting the job. If it was going to be a problem, I supposed I could always go back into therapy for it and really push myself to get through things. I couldn't quite fathom how at this point, but this job seemed like something worth fighting for. Arin smiled at me, kindly. "Okay. That seems reasonable. In fact, I can't see how that will be a problem at all. If we need you to do any on air work on the videos or record with us, all you will have to do is use an accent or change your voice. Can you maintain that for more than a few minutes at a time?"

That startled a small chuckle out of me. "Oh yeah. Normally for about five or six hours with the ones I'm NOT familiar with. For some accents I can go for days, literally. I mean like I said, I can sing in a few of them. If I can do that, just speaking in it for a while is no strain at all. I'm best at the Scottish, Irish, Australian, or British for that, or actually one of the accents in the US. I can do several that are quite convincing, or so I've been told. Texan, Southern East Coast, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Buffalo, New York City, Boston, and Maine, all seem fairly easy. I haven't been in California long enough to mimic the accent here very well."

Now everyone in the room was staring at me again. Arin and Suzy exchanged a disbelieving look. Dan grinned at me after a minute. "Um, I hate to break it to you, babe, but you already have a California accent. I doubt anyone else here knew you just moved from the way you spoke, and I had honestly forgotten. But that's a lot of variety. And I've never heard anyone sing in an accent they weren't born with or lived around for their whole life. Can you show us?"

I blushed slightly, thinking. I finally agreed. I asked Dan to help me get up, since I felt the need to be standing when I did this, and my legs were going numb anyway from staying in this folded up position so long. He agreed and got up. As soon as he did, I started unfolding myself, Dan helping me stand steady when I was done. The expressions of everyone else were almost comical. Only Arin, Dan, and Mark had seen me standing up straight before, like I did now, stretching out the kinks in my back. Even they looked slightly surprised by how quickly I had gone from my rather small seated self to my actual height. I stretched out my back, neck, shoulder, and legs for a minute before I started humming, warming up my vocal chords to sing properly. Since I had been talking all day a fair amount, they didn't need a lot of warmup, but I was always careful so I didn't strain them. When I was done and ready, I closed my eyes, picturing my favorite calming images in my head and ignoring the fact that I had anyone listening to me. I started off by switching to a gentle Irish accent and singing the song Gypsy Rover. Then I switched to a Scottish accent, with a gentle burr, and sang Amazing Grace. My final song choice was The Battle Hymn of the Republic with a Buffalo (NY) accent. After I finished I opened my eyes again and folded myself back down into my previous seat, making myself as small as possible again. Dan's eyes shone at me, a mix of awe, joy, and something else. Most of the rest of the group was staring open-mouthed. Jack and Ross were grinning at me. Arin was looking at me impressed. "You really do have a good voice. And those were all amazing. You didn't even need a real warm up or us to give you a note or any musical backup. One question though, why did you close your eyes when you sang?"

I looked at him, actually feeling much more relaxed. No one had teased me or laughed. They all seemed genuinely impressed. It helped me feel at home here for the first time all day and the last of the tension from my interview drained away, making me unfold into a more comfortable position and not try to hide so much. "Uh, that was just because I was trying to stay calm and collected. I used to sing in a choir, back in high school and for a little while in college. I was so nervous on the stage I stopped, unless I could sing either staring at a spot in the distance, sing with my eyes closed, or on a completely darkened stage so I could picture the audience was gone. And as for needing backup, all I can say is, not for those songs. I have some songs I know so well, I can sing them without any prompting, lead-in, or support. Oh, and I am better singing with other people. I'm not sure why."

Dan reached over and hugged me, surprising me. "I'm glad you are finally starting to relax a little. I somehow can't believe folding yourself up like origami was comfortable. And Arin is right, you have an amazing voice and real talent. What else can you sing without backup?"

I grinned at him, feeling a lot more relaxed looking at only one person, especially him. I brought my knees up and rested my elbows on them as I talked, gesturing with my hands as I talked. "Mostly folk songs from various places and a few show tunes. Although, I know a surprising number of TV show theme songs and a lot of eighties music. But that I can't sing those in an accent or not many different ones. And some songs I learned from when my mother made me go to church when I was young. I tend to remember music and books better than a lot of things, including faces. I just wish I could actually read music properly." 

Dan grinned at me and winked. "I could probably help you learn that skill." I blushed slightly, but only very slightly, a mere dusting of color on my cheeks. Since I had been focused on talking sole to Dan for a moment, I had forgotten everyone else was still behind us.

Mark commented, breaking that small moment. "What show tunes do you know? And do you know Disney songs? I would love to have you guest on my channel and do the Disney song challenge. I have a feeling you could really shine doing that."

I laughed out loud again. "Only if you want an extremely nervous, overly excitable, tall, surprising loud, woman to kick your ass completely. I tend to pull the obscure songs out first from those movies. Like if you names Snow White, almost everyone says 'Whistle while you work' or 'Heigh Ho!', right? Not me! I answer with the 'I'm wishing', or 'Someday My Prince Will Come', or even 'With a Smile and a Song'. Oh, and I can sing at least a small portion of all of them, so don't challenge my answers too much.' I snickered at his shocked look. "What? Don't you know those? What about the song called 'Silly Little Song' from Snow White, also called the 'Dwarves' Yodel'? And I know a lot of pretty obscure song from all over the place, although I might not be able to sing more than a few bars of them, usually with pretty accurate lyrics." 

Dan and Arin were grinning broadly at me now. Arin had his mouse and keyboard out and pulled up the songs I mentioned on the screen, showing them to the room. Everyone started teasing Mark a little, smiling at me, making me feel welcomed. I was sure now this was going to be a good job. I was going to wait until I found a new apartment to leave the diner, but I was going to stop working all the hours they could throw at me and ask to be changed to evening shift, which would actually be better for them anyway, since no one else really seemed to want it. I figured two weeks of that and I would have enough to move into my own place for sure, especially if I just ate there from now until I moved, using down some of my rather excessive meal point build up. And I could throw myself into projects here, doing something I actually liked. I smiled a truly happy smile for the first time that day and I heard Dan draw in a breath next to me. I looked over at him curiously. He looked stunned. My smiled faded slightly, concern replacing the happiness for a moment, but he just looked at me with a smile a second later. "You have a gorgeous smile. You should smile more and be happy. I didn't realize how much you kept your feelings back until I just saw you smile, looking really happy. You face lit up. It was awesome." My smile cranked back up and I tried to keep from blushing. When I looked around I saw Suzy give me a small wink. Everyone else was just smiling in a friendly way or looking surprised. 

Suddenly I stood up again and walked over to Arin, taking the keyboard and mouse for a minute. I closed the Disney song site he had pulled up and opened my personal project folder then handed the keyboard and mouse back to him after selecting a file. "Try that one. It's not finished, but I want to see what you think anyway." I sat back down as Arin opened the file. I watched everyone's surprised reactions as they realized it was a game, not an animation. Sure it was only the first ten levels, but it was enough to get a feel for it and I wanted some honest feedback from people who knew video games. 

Arin looked at me after he played for about twenty minutes, everyone watching. "I know you said you worked on games, but this looks pretty complete from what I can see. Why are you saying it's not finished?"

I blinked. "Uh, because I have only finished about ten levels. I don't want to try to get it out until I have at least twenty. And I know the levels are kind of long, but I want to make it as enjoyable as possible. I tried to make it a game I would like to play, not just a clone of everything else out there, so it has some unique aspects, but it should mostly be familiar to people who play dungeon crawlers and adventure games. There are some levels that are more puzzle challenge type as well, but not too many of those. Oh, and entire level that is basically a maze with traps, treasure, monsters, and hidden surprises. I have some Easter eggs thrown in the entire game and about twelve characters to choose from, but I don't know if that's enough. And there is only single player or two player modes so far. I just have a lot more to do before I feel like it will be ready."

Everyone shook their heads at me. Mark was the first to speak up. "That sounds like you are trying to develop a triple A title on your own. There are a lot of people who would love to play something like this as an Indie game. You should see some of what gets put out. You could release this on Steam right now, make a good bit of money, find out exactly what players like and dislike, and release patches that add the additional elements. Hell, I know I'd buy a copy right now. This looks amazing and the music is really good. Where did you get the idea for this?"

I smiled at him. "Like I said earlier, I'm a gamer and I decided to make what I liked. And all of the music is either something I came up with and mixed until I really liked it, or classical music that is public domain that I perform myself. I can't read sheet music, like I said, but I can learn visually and pick music up by ear and reproduce it, so that's what I've done for this. And since I'm the one performing the music, I hold the performance copyrights. I did a lot of research into copyrights at one of the gaming companies I worked for in Philadelphia. I may have only been a scut monkey for them, but I was a thorough one. And they did eventually move me up to game development and design." I thought for a minute about what he was saying about releasing the game before I continued. "Okay, one question about releasing the game through a platform like Steam. Wouldn't I need Beta testers first anyway? I've been Betaing it all on my own so far, and I feel like I need some people to test it who actually know something about games, which is why I had Arin try it now."

Mark grinned at me again. "Well, I know I would love to test it for you. And I know several other YouTubers who would as well. And I know quite a few games that have been released on Steam with no beta testing as early access, with the disclaimer that they are not beta tested yet. It's a way for the developer to have a larger audience test the game and get people to help them find bugs and report them." 

"Let me think about it. Oh, and I can send you a copy of this so you can try it if you want. I'll just send you a dropbox copy, if that works for you?" He nodded excitedly. Arin was still playing and everyone was watching the screen, mostly not noticing our conversation. When Arin ran into one of the Easter eggs, it suddenly flashed an animation of several of the characters singing a song and dancing, startling everyone for a second. I watched their reactions. They all were smiling and grinning at each other afterward and Arin resumed regular play until he got to one of the more difficult auto-generated fights. It wasn't quite a boss battle, but it was a bit more challenging than the fights so far. He died three times before he gave up, putting the game down for now. The he looked at me.

"That is amazing! So far it's really seamless and the controls are really tight. I want to keep playing, but I need to have you come sign the paperwork to hire you. Actually, I want to hire you more than ever, after seeing all the different things you can do. I do have one thing I feel like I have to ask though, just out of curiosity mostly. Are you good at everything? I mean honestly, it seems like it so far..."

I laughed. "Hardly. I am dyslexic, which I can work around, but can cause some interesting error when I code, have severe ADHD, suck at math especially if I have to give a precise answer and work out the long way, and can't dance very well. Oh, and I REALLY suck at sports, except for some reason golf, which I hate playing, and archery." I looked at him, grinning. "Does that make you feel better?"

He laughed and nodded. "Way more than it probably should. That and knowing you are as shy as you clearly are. Sorry."

I shook my head at him. "Yeah, everyone likes to dig up their shortcomings. Well, let's go do the paperwork. Oh, and when can I officially start?"

Arin laughed. "I think you already have. I want you to come back in tomorrow for sure. We can hammer out a better schedule for you then. Now, let's go start this paperwork so everyone else can get back to work." He gave a mock glare to most of the rest of the Grumps, skipping over Suzy, Dan, and of course, Mark, since he wasn't actually a Grump. I chuckled and everyone else walked out, waving goodbye and promising to see me the next day, or next week, or even just soon. I stood up again and followed Arin back to his desk again. So did Dan and Suzy. Mark disappeared from sight, and I didn't see where he went, but heard him say a goodbye to me as he left, asking Arin to give me his email and contact info. 

Arin gave me a brief orientation speech and had me sign the paperwork. It was pretty boilerplate stuff and Suzy took it after I was done to make copies of and give to the office manager, Brent, and a second copy to Graham, who were both brought over to meet me more officially, before they left for the day. Suzy walked away at some point too, but I'm not sure when. Arin stood up and walked over to me, sitting on the front edge of his desk, casually. He handed me a sheet with contact information for most of the people here in the office as well as Mark, after he had finished explaining exactly what my job was going to be and going through all the paperwork. I blinked, folded it up, and put it in my pocket. Then he shook my hand, saying "Welcome to the Game Grumps, officially." I shook his hand smiling. After we finished, I looked at the time and was quite surprised to see it was after six. My stomach gave a mighty growl, making me blush again. Dan and Arin grinned at me. "Come on. Let me grab Suzy and we can all go get some food, my treat. What are you in the mood for?"

I looked at him surprised. "Uh, anything really. I'm not picky. And I can pay for my own dinner, really." Arin waved me off, looking for Suzy. I looked at Dan. "Thank you so much for bring me in here. This seems like a dream come true."

Dan grinned at me. "No problem. I like you. You seem like someone who really works hard at everything you do, especially if you are passionate about it. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Suzy is Arin's wife. I wanted you to know in case they get all romantic at the restaurant, which happens sometimes. And on occasion here at work, although not usually too badly. Suzy, at least, usually remembers they have coworkers here and tries to stay professional." I smiled and nodded at Dan just as Arin and Suzy came back into sight. They lead me out of the office, promising to get me a key card the next day, and told me what restaurant they wanted to go to. I followed in my car and we had a very nice meal. I got to know all three of them better as we ate. Dan and Arin argued back and forth a little, almost like brothers would. Suzy was sweet. I relaxed around them and all of us had a lovely dinner. I headed back to my friend's apartment feeling great about how life was going for the first time in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least this one didn't take a whole month between updates! Sorry for the long delay between chapters. I JUST finished wrapping up part one of my Poly!Reader X Mark X Jack, updating my Jack X Reader, Mark X Reader, and my OTHER Dan X Reader story (which is going to be shorter I swear!) and dealing with some health issues. So yeah, updates are a little inconsistent on this one. I'm hoping to update it at least every two weeks for a while, maybe bumping that up after I finish the other Dan X Reader and before I dive into part 2 of my Poly!Reader story. 
> 
> Oh, and I take requests for anyone interested... 
> 
> ...Not that I'm particularly short on ideas at the moment. My brain is always coming up with new and interesting plots. And I swear to the heavens, my long abandoned original book will be getting an update one of these days soon! I never expected to write my Poly!Reader into such a long-assed story. And I will be continuing it after a short break to update some of my other stuff.


	4. Start of Something Good ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's your first day of work with the Game Grumps.

I woke up early on Friday, excited to start working with the Game Grumps. Arin had told me not to come in before ten, but I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep now. I felt like I was bouncing with energy. I got up and took a hot shower, taking a long time to chose my outfit for the day. Arin had explained that I could wear just about anything and would likely see some very unlikely outfits while I worked there. I chuckled when I thought of that, remembering some of the costumes I had made and worn for various events, conventions, and Halloweens past. I doubted they would come up with anything weirder than some of those, after all, I had dressed up as a dinosaur in drag, complete with fake wig and overdone makeup on the mask. That costume had been the result of a lost bet, but it was still an awesome memory. I shook my head, trying to focus. I decided to go with jeans and a tee shirt, a classic combination, and one that would allow me good range of movement, especially if I ended up crawling around doing computer repairs. I grabbed my underwear, jeans, and a tee shirt with the phrase "Video games don't cause violence... ... ... ... ...lag does." After I got dressed, I grabbed a pair of black flats, my laptop bag, and my wallet, slipping it in my jacket pocket, left a note for Sandy, and headed down to my car. I drove to the diner and looked in. It was utter chaos.

When I walked through the door, Stephen came over immediately. "You're not working today."

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm getting some food. I have an appointment somewhere else at ten, but it's close by, and I wanted to eat first. Is that going to be a problem?"

Stephen blew out a big sigh. "No. I just thought you might have forgotten. Do you mind waiting a few minutes? Cindy didn't show up again. She's fired. She fed me a line that she called you again and switched shifts. I informed her that wasn't possible. She cursed at me and I fired her on the spot, telling her she was banned from coming back in. I'm going to have to work all weekend to cover the shifts."

I frowned. "Stephen, when does the work week start officially for us? I could work some hours this weekend and not during the week next week. Actually, I was going to ask you to shift my hours around anyway." Stephen looked up at me. "I've been looking for another job. I really hate waiting tables. I giving my two week notice effective Monday. I actually got interviewed for a different job yesterday and they hired me, but I don't want to leave you in the lurch."

Stephen's shoulders sagged. "Okay. well, thanks for giving us the two weeks. And if you can cover this weekend that would save my ass, big time."

I smiled at him and nodded. "Sure. I wouldn't have offered if I couldn't cover it. Now, are you going to be here tomorrow, or should I stop by later to talk to you about my schedule for the next two weeks? I need to check in with my new boss to find out what hours he wants me to work, but that job is going to get first dibs on my time and energy. I'm really happy to have landed it."

Stephen's mouth twisted ruefully. "Oh, I'll be here. Cindy was supposed to work all day today for her shift and she was supposed to be here this weekend as well, not counting the hours you had been supposed to cover that I thought I was going to have to find someone else for."

I chuckled a little. "Good thing I can cover after all. Now, one final question before I go find a seat. Do my earned food points end when I leave, or do I get to keep them, at least for a while? My new job is close by, and I would love to be able to get lunch here or stop by for breakfast before work to eat, but it would be way better for me to eat at home if I'm going to have to buy all my food even though I earned the food points."

Stephen shook his head. "No, they are yours to use however you want, whenever. As long as the management doesn't change or you don't get fired, but since you are going to work somewhere else, that doesn't apply. And thanks for staying loyal and agreeing to work the two weeks so we can start looking for someone else. You have been a great employee, we're all going to miss you a lot."

I chuckled. "I'll be around. I fully expect you will be getting orders from my bosses regularly. Oh, and can I get a big handful of the to go menus? I want to leave them at my new workplace." Stephen nodded and handed me about two dozen folded menus. I smiled and took them, tucking them in my jacket inside pocket. I added one final thing, after thinking about it for a few minutes. "Listen Stephen, I know it can be tough to find good employees. Keep my number and if things get too swamped, give me a call, especially on weekends. I _might_ be able to cover occasionally, depending on how tired my other job makes me and how many hours I'm working there." Stephen looked very relieved, thanked me, and rushed off to help the customer who was waving impatiently for their check. I looked around for a minute and sat down at the front counter. Lucy came out of the kitchen looking fried. I smiled at her, encouraging and sympathizing at the same time. She took the tray of food she was carrying over to the table who were waiting and came back as quickly as she could. "Hey, Luce, how's it going?"

"[Y/N]! What are you doing here? And what can I get for you?"

I chuckled. "I want a number three breakfast. I'm here on my way to my other job. They hired me on the spot yesterday. I gave Stephen my two weeks notice, effective Monday, and told him I was going to need to swap hours around, so I am covering this weekend after all." I smiled at her. "Hey can you tell them it's for me so they spice the hash browns and eggs. Chocolate chip pancakes please." Lucy smiled at me again. "Oh, and a diet cola to drink. Thanks, Lucy."

She nodded. "You bet. Oh, and hey, congrats on the job. We'll all miss you around here. So now tell me, how did things go with the mysterious guy you were here with yesterday? I've been dying to know ever since the two of you left. Spill as soon as I get back." Lucy stepped away, delivering a customer their check and cashing them out before heading for the kitchen.

I shook my head as I waited for her to deliver my food order to the kitchen and heard her tell the cook it was for me. She came back with my drink a second later. I looked around. No one new had come in and everyone was currently eat and drinking, not looking around for the waitress. It looked like she had a few minutes. "First of all, I'm still going to come in, I'll just be a customer instead of a staff member. Second, Dan, the man who I met yesterday in the rain, who came in with me and I ate with, is one of my new coworkers, that's all. He's the one who knew about the job and took me to the interview, remember?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Uh huh. He seemed really into you, so I thought when the two of you left..." I shook my head. "Well damn." We chatted back and forth around her waiting on other customers. After I finished my breakfast, I stood up, stretching, ready to fish out a tip. Lucy waved me off. "I know money's tight for you right now, and you covering this weekend means I actually get to have a life, so keep the money you would have tipped me for something for yourself in the new apartment." I thanked her and drove to the Game Grumps office for my first full day. I was still early, but I figured I could wait in my car until it was time.

I pulled into the office parking lot at nine o'clock. I found a parking spot fairly quickly and settled in, my ebook in hand to wait for Arin to come in and let me in the building. I had my sun roof open and the windows down to let some breeze in before the day got too warm and my music on low while I read. If my car charger hadn't broken during my move, I would have plugged it in and plugged my laptop into it, to work on one of my animations or my game, but sadly it had broken when I banged into it with a box while I was unloading the car at Sandy's apartment. That was okay though, I planned to buy a new one after I had moved into my new place and gotten settled in. I was honestly a little afraid to buy another one before than, fearing I would just break it right away by doing the same thing I had done to the last one. I reclined the seat just a little, put on my prescription sunglasses, removing my regular glasses and putting them in their case, and started reading the new fantasy novel by one of my favorite author's that I had started last night. I am a big fan of reading and have to read a hour or two every night to sleep properly, and since moving to LA, it was the one activity I felt I absolutely had to do, just to keep some routine and help me feel normal. Reading also gave me ideas for animations and games, something I could rarely just come up with on my own, from nowhere. I had read about a chapter and a half, or for about fifteen minutes, when Dan came over to my car. "Hey [Y/N], what are you doing out here? Why haven't you gone inside yet?"

I jumped slightly and squeaked, not hearing him approach the car because I was so into what I had been reading. I looked at him, blushing. "Um, Arin told me to come in sometime after ten, and I don't have any keys or access to the office yet. I was told I would get that stuff today. I wasn't even sure if anyone else was here yet, so I just decided to get comfy and read until someone came in."

Dan grinned. "Well, I'm here now, so come on in. You can either read or look around some more if Arin isn't already here, but I think he probably is." He offered to help me carry anything I needed, but I shook my head, telling him I only had my jacket and laptop bag today. I turned off my car as I rolled the windows up and turned my music off. I grabbed my bag and hopped out, narrowly missing hitting Dan with the car door. I apologized but he waved me off. "That was totally my fault. I should have paid attention to where the door was going to have to swing. Besides it didn't actually hit me, just swung a little close." I smiled at him for a second, grateful he wasn't mad. He smiled back, brightly. "You really do have a great smile. Now, come on, we can see if they have assigned you a desk yet." I followed Dan up the steps to the office and was soon looking around quietly. Dan had walked off, almost as soon as we got inside, looking for something or someone else, I presumed. I found an empty seat and sat down, immediately plugging my laptop in and booting it up. I saw a few empty desks, but none with my name on them, so I decided to just work on my animation until Arin came in or someone came looking for me. I opened the animation I had showed off yesterday, the one I only had a little left to do on, and got to work, pulling out my digital drawing pad and sketching a few things after a few minutes. I was concentrating hard and didn't notice the people filing in around me. The volume change in the room did register somewhere in my head, but I didn't really pay much attention until I heard someone say my name. I looked up to see Arin, Suzy, Brian, and Dan coming over. I smiled at them and saved my work, figuring I could do this later, putting my computer to sleep as soon as the files were saved. I closed the lid just as they came up beside me. 

Arin grinned at me. "So, I hear from Danny here that you were early. Eager to start today then?" I nodded and unfolded myself from the chair, where I had been sitting with my legs tucked up under me and my back and shoulders hunched slightly forward, making myself one again into a human pretzel to appear smaller. I was so used to doing this, I didn't even realize I had done it until I needed to stretch or get up. When I stood up now to follow Arin, I nearly fell on my face, mainly because my legs had fallen asleep from the position I had been sitting in. Arin chuckled. "You know, you really don't have to sit like that you know. We aren't going to get mad at you for taking up a bit more space. In case you hadn't noticed, Dan and I are also tall. You shouldn't try to hide so much. We're about the same height as you, give or take an inch or two. So relax and sit comfortably. I can't imagine sitting like that is very comfortable or good for your knees, back, or hips." 

I stretched briefly. "Sorry. I'm so used to hiding my height, it's kind of something I do without thinking about it. I used to live near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and it seems like there are more short people there than anywhere else I've ever been. The apartment I lived in, which was an old house that had been remodels slightly into two apartments, was built in the nineteen fifties and all the fixtures, faucets, tub, and toilets were low and small, making me feel like I lived in a doll's house. It was so bad, I actually had to sit sideways or stick my legs and feet in the bathtub to use the toilet in both bathrooms." **_{A/N -- This is actually true on both the house I lived in in Gettysburg, and the height of the people there. It's ridiculous!}_** I chuckled. "I didn't live there long, but man, every time I went into town, I felt like a giantess lumbering along the sidewalks." 

Dan and Arin both chuckled. Dan commented "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I remember visiting there when I was in high school and being more impressed with how short everyone was then the actual battlefields and history. Actually, a lot of Pennsylvania is like that, especially in the area you were in. I think it's all the Pennsylvania Dutch. They just seem to be smaller people."

I nodded and turned to Arin. "So, what am I going to be doing today? I wasn't sure what to expect, so I brought my personal laptop in case I had a lot of down time to work on my animations and game. I hate to just sit around with nothing productive to do if I can get something done with a little bit of planning ahead. That's what I was just working on, but of course, anything you have for me to do takes presidence."

Arin grinned at me. "Good. I'm glad to hear you like to work. And today is going to be a little unusual for you, compared to most days. We are going to get you all set up, including two computers, one for you to work from home on, for the animations you are going to make for us, and a desktop for you to work on here. Save your laptop for other things, like gaming or personal projects. First things first though, we need to get you key cards and access codes to get into the office. Then we need to set your regular schedule and line out your exact duties and job title. This afternoon I might have you look at some of the computers and equipment that are giving us problems. Now, normally the newest member of the group is low man, or in your case, woman, on the totem pole and does all the running, but you are coming in as a specialist and with a good bit of experience. Besides we have an intern for that right now. I do want you to learn some of the other aspects of what we do and to learn video editing, so I will be assigning you to some of the other editors to shadow, but not for a little while. Also, I would like you to come on as a Grump on air, at least occasionally, if only to show off your vocal skills."

I blushed and ducked my head, nervous. Dan patted my shoulder. "Don't worry. We don't use a face camera, so no one will see you, except for the video clip we make introducing you as the newest Grump." I heaved a relieved sigh. 

Arin shook his head at me. "You really are shy, aren't you? Well the good news is you'll hardly ever need to be on screen, even if you are on camera a lot, unless you agree to it. I'll even let you draw your own Grump head if you want, as long as it matches the style of everyone else's. I can show you what they look like as a reference, if you aren't familiar with the channel."

"Sorry, I keep meaning to watch, but just haven't had the time." I blushed and looked down again. 

Arin waved me off. "It's no problem, but when you have some spare time here in the office, you should watch some of what we have out there, so you know what to expect and what to do, editing and animation wise. Now, step into my office, I have your key in there and I just need to assign it to you and activate the card. Then we can get you a desk and you can put your nameplate on it and we can do the next thing. Today is going to be a busy day, so let's get started."

We headed into Arin's office and by one o'clock I had access on the servers, permissions, access codes to the building and a key card. I also had a desk and desktop computer was being brought in for me, with the promise it would be on my desk by the end of the day. I was ready for a break, and so were Dan and Arin. I heard a stomach rumble and hid a grin. Dan spoke up. "Arin, we need to stop for a little while and get some food. After that, we can record her intro, let her look over the problem equipment and record at least one video for the channel I think, while she works. I say we get some pizza." Arin agreed and called in an order for pizza, wings, pasta, and salad, getting a lot of everything to put in the break room for everyone as a celebration of hiring me. I was sent off to go gather everyone while Dan and Arin went to go get the food. They also told me there would be a proper Grump party for me soon, but they always waited for a month before they celebrated hiring a new team member, just in case things didn't work out. I completely understood, and told them just that, also telling them I was flattered, but they really didn't need to go to all that trouble. Danny just grinned at me. "Oh, don't take away our excuse to party! We love throwing parties. Besides, it will help you meet some other YouTubers who live in LA. We usually invite a whole bunch of them and a lot of them actually do come. Now, what kind of toppings do you like on pizza?"

"Anything except pork products, onions, or green peppers. They don't agree with my stomach."

Dan raised an eyebrow at me. "Got it. No pork, onions, and peppers, huh?"

I nodded, then bit my lip. "Actually, it's just green bell peppers. I can eat pretty much any other pepper, but for some reason green bell peppers make me sick. And I really like the flavor of onions, but they often make me sick too, so I generally just avoid them on principal. Pork tears my stomach up really badly."

Danny grinned at me. "I thought maybe you were just Jewish." I blushed, not knowing what to say. 

I rounded everyone up while the guys were gone. Suzy got out Cards Against Humanity and we all started playing while we waited for the food, giving me an opportunity to get to know everyone else a little better. Dan and Arin joined in when they got back with the food and we played and ate for close to an hour before everyone had to get back to work. Arin lead me over to the recording area and explained how everything worked, then asked me how I wanted to record my introduction to the fans. I didn't have any ideas, so Dan and Arin set up a little quick skit and we practiced it a couple of times, recording it on the last take, and giving it to Kevin to edit. Then they took me to what looked at first glance like a storage closet. Arin opened the door with a flourish. "Here you go! Go nuts. All of these computer need something done to fix them and are too new or have something we really need so we can't just get rid of them and replace them, but they have been too broken for any of us to fix or we didn't have the massive amount of time it would take one of us. Getting this mess tamed is your first job." I grinned ready to dive in. I actually loved repairing computers and building new machines, the only part I hadn't liked about tech support was dealing with the callers and inexperienced, but rude, people who assumed any problem could be fixed by yelling at the repair person, cursing at them, or threatening them. 

I looked at Arin for a minute before I asked a question. "Can I scrap parts and rebuild machines, or do they all need to be repaired exactly as they are?"

Arin waved a hand. "Do whatever you need to. Anything we really need, software or hardware wise should be noted on the outside of the tower with a sticky note or label. Anything else, I'll leave up to you. Come find me when you finish for the day. We still need to set you schedule, but we can be pretty flexible. I think you'll find most of us work afternoons and evenings, but you can arrange your hours however works best for you. Hell, if you want to work four ten hour days that's fine. Or six days a week of six or seven hours, that's fine too, as long as your total weekly time is still forty hours." 

I smiled, happily. "Ideally, I would like a Monday through Thursday eight to six shift. I can change it if I need to, but that would be my preference for at least the first few weeks. I've been working the breakfast shift at the diner and tend to be an early riser. I also need to look at apartments, and having a whole day set aside every week to look at apartments, run errands, pack, move, and generally just do whatever needs done during the week will be very helpful. I think based on the amount of equipment in here and the condition of some of the other stuff you told me about earlier, it will probably take me about a month to get everything tamed and back in tip top shape, at least. Then we can reassess my schedule to get it more in line with everyone else's if we need to. Does that work for you?"

Arin grinned and nodded. "Sure thing. And there will still be plenty of overlap, so come find us if you run short of things to do. Or you could look for something on your own, shadow Kevin or Brian for a while, or just sit and watch some of our old videos." I nodded and Dan and Arin left me to work. 

At around seven that evening, Dan peeked his head around the door frame and blinked at me. "Uh, you can stop now. Almost everyone else has gone home. Arin thought you left a couple of hours ago. I was shutting down all the lights and saw this one so I was just going to shut it off when I saw you sitting there. How's it going, anyway?"

I grimaced. "Some of these machines are garbage. I have everything sorted by how long it's going to take me to fix, and a few of the machines are in the hopeless without massive time and parts pile. I need to find out just how important they are to keep. My inclination is to just pitch them and buy something else, which I don't normally advocate, but they are each going to take at least thirty or forty hours to sort out, _if_ they can even be fixed at all." I shook my head as I stood up and stretched. Dan watched me for a second and then looked down. I didn't notice at first, until I looked up and saw him staring at the floor. "What's up?"

Dan swallowed and looked back at me now that I wasn't stretching. "Nothing to worry about. I was just thinking about something. Now, go home. I'm sure you have something better to do than sit in a cramped storage closet. Don't you have a boyfriend or girlfriend to get home to?"

I giggled. "Nope. I'm couch surfing with a friend who's getting married soon and she's been driving me crazy, so I have been spending as little time at her house as I can without seeming rude. Don't get me wrong, I like her a lot, but she's kind of driving me crazy with her wedding stuff. I agreed to help with some of it, but she's going overboard in my opinion. I seriously doubt if the guests are going to care if she has four hundred or four hundred fifty thread count chair covers and table cloths. Or if the ribbons on the flower arrangements are satin or sateen. I never have cared about that kind of shit, so it's hard to work up any enthusiasm for it now. It just seems so pointless and frivolous to me."

Dan grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Some of my friends get like that about the weirdest shit. I don't understand it either." 

I smiled at Dan. "Thanks for getting it." I sighed and looked around. "I guess I better head out now though, I'm getting pretty tired and I need to stop and get some dinner."

Danny looked at me. "Do you want some company? I could definitely eat as well." 

"Sure, that would be great. But don't you have a significant other to contact or get home to?"

Dan shook his head. "Nope. Just me." 

I winked at him. "That's surprising. And a damn shame. Now, let me grab my jacket and laptop. I want to go. I was planning on heading back to the diner. Does that sound okay? Or do you want to go somewhere else?"

"Anywhere you want is fine. Actually, I liked the diner. I want to try another shake combo." I grinned and we headed out of the office. As the door closed behind us, I realized today was a momentous day for me and I had almost let it pass without realizing. I was officially working in my true field of interest in California, a lifelong dream of mine. I smiled as I climbed in my car, heading for familiar turf.


	5. Hospital Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something unexpected happens.

Dan and I had a great time at the diner, ordering the special of the night, and eating slowly, just having a good time in each other's company. We flirted, joked, and generally just relaxed, something it felt like I hadn't done in a year or more. Shelby, another friend on mine here at the diner, was our waitress, and surprised to see me off work, let alone with company. She came over and teased me good naturedly for a while as well. Eventually though we finished eating and had to head our separate ways. I got back to Sandy's apartment just as it started raining again. I smiled and stood in the sudden downpour for several long minutes before it slowed down and I reached back into my car, pulling out two laptops (my personal one, and my Game Grumps work one), my book, purse, and the dessert I had ordered for Sandy from the diner. I carried everything in and opened the apartment door to a scene of utter confusion and chaos. Sandy was sitting on the couch weeping, her mother hugging her shoulders. I rushed in and knelt at her feet, shedding my armload of items by the door, except her dessert. "Sandy? Are you alright? What's going on?"

Sandy sobbed so hard I was afraid she was going to hurt herself. Her mom continued to rub her back and soothe her as best she could while turning to me and answering. "Hi, [y/n]. Sandy's going to be alright. Noah (her fiancee) was in a car accident. He's alive, but that's all the information we have right now. She's going to fly out to be with him tomorrow, so you're going to be on your own for a few days. Oh, and the wedding is probably going to have to be postponed."

I nodded and came up next to Sandy, pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh god. Sandy, I'm so sorry. What can I do to help?"

Sandy calmed down while I hugged her. I kept hold of her until she was calm again. "Thanks [y/n]. I don't know why your hugs always calm me down, but they do. I don't think you can do anything right now. I can't do anything. Honestly, now that I'm calmer, I feel kind of numb."

I gave her a gentle squeeze and let her go. "Okay. Well, let's get everything set then, so you can leave without worrying. Have you eaten anything tonight?" Sandy shook her head. "Food first then. Next, we can pack a bag. Or if you want, maybe your mom could pack the bag now, while you eat?" I looked at her mother, who smiled slightly and headed out of the room to get Sandy's luggage ready. I knelt down again. "What do you think you can eat, sweetie? I can make pasta, a sandwich, soup, salad, or a frozen dinner for you. Oh, and I brought home some dessert from the diner. I stopped on the way home from my new job to eat, since I had been working all day and was hungry and tired. It's chocolate cheesecake."

Sandy smiled at me, shaking her head. "How can you always know what people need before we know we need them? I was just wishing I had something chocolate to calm my nerves. And don't go to any trouble. Salad, a sandwich, or soup will be fine."

I nodded, handed her the dessert and a plastic fork, and headed into the kitchen, making her a grilled cheese, avocado, turkey, and tomato sandwich and a bowl of leftover chicken enchilada soup. I put them on a tray with a large glass of her favorite soda and carried it out, handing the food to her. "Here you go Sandy. Now, where is Noah right now? I'll make a few phone calls and get your ticket arranged. You just sit here, eat your food, and watch something mindless on TV. Or turn on YouTube and zone out. I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you."

Sandy looked at me, tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much. I couldn't even begin to handle things. Mom wasn't making me feel any better either, despite her best efforts. Noah is in Dallas for his conference." I nodded and stepped out onto the terrace of the apartment, savoring the gentle rain on my face as I called the airport and explained the situation. The woman I talked to was extremely kind and we got tickets arranged for Sandy in short order. She was even getting a hugely discounted price, which might even be reduced to nothing tomorrow. I stepped back into the apartment after I hung up. Sandy was locked in on the TV watching YouTube. At first I had no idea what she was watching, since I couldn't see from the angle I was at and since I was headed back to her room to speak with her mom, I didn't investigate too much, until I heard familiar voices. She was watching Game Grumps videos. I smiled a little for a few seconds before I shook my head and found Sandy's mom. I explained the situation and told her she could go home for the night, as long as she promised to come pick Sandy up and driver her to the airport in the morning. I told her I had to work. She nodded, headed out to wish Sandy a goodnight, and left. I came out of the bedroom and settled on the couch next to Sandy, joining her in watching the videos for a while. 

It was very interesting, watching the games and listening to Dan and Arin play. Sandy still didn't know about my new job, other than that I had one, so this was something completely coincidental. When the episode ended, she started the next one immediately. I looked over at her, watching her face for a few minutes. "Sandy, are you going to be okay?"

She looked at me, startled. "When did you get back here? I didn't see you come in." She sighed. "And yeah, I'll be okay. I think I'm going to watch this for a little while more then go to bed. Did you get a ticket for me?"

I nodded. "Yeah. And your mom's coming back to get you in the morning. I have to work at the diner."

Sandy smiled at me, the first real smile I had seen on her face since I got to the apartment tonight. "When aren't you working? I swear, you must work twice as many hours as anyone else at that damn diner. I miss seeing you around here, you know? And now you have this other mystery job too. I'm never going to see you anymore am I?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Sandy, I'm trying to save up enough money to get my own apartment. Besides, I'm not the one you want here for all this wedding stuff. I'm doing my best to help, but I really don't care about most of the details. I already got the ones arranged I felt like I knew anything about, like the wedding photographer, videographer, music, and all the website stuff. I know things like whether the indoor reception napkins and the outdoor candles match matter to you, but I am honestly just annoyed and frustrated by that kind of thing. Just like you get when I talk about animation and computers sometimes."

Sandy looked scandalized. "I thought you were joking when you said you didn't like this stuff. Who doesn't like talking about bridal arrangements and wedding details? Didn't you ever plan your imagined wedding as a kid? How is this different?"

I shook my head. "Sandy, I never did that. I was busy playing with computers, video games, books, and legos. I preferred to be the knight or the witch to the princess, unless the princess was leading her own rescue or rescuing someone else. I also never wished for a horse or pony as a little girl, except for toy versions."

Sandy's jaw was dropped. "Never? But... Wait, does that mean you were always a geek? I thought that started when you were in high school."

I laughed. "Oh, hell no. I was born a geek. My grandmother had a computer nearly as old as me that I was using before I started school at age four. I was reading before I finished school that year, on my own, even if it was only simple books. And I was a master lego builder. Not that I didn't play with dolls or have stuffed animals, but they weren't usually my primary focus. Did you really think I had changed that much? I know we didn't meet until college, but really? High school?"

Sandy blushed. "Actually, I thought you changed because you had a crush and just learned to like the same things. It happened to me, with my first crush. He loved golf."

I shook my head, amused now. "Nope. I was a geek before high school. I was on the chess team, played Dungeons and Dragons, and made costumes for things besides Halloween. I still do. And being head of the student AV staff was awesome. It helped me land my job now too, I swear. Or well, learning the AV skills I did then is what helped. That and being an overachiever at the interview."

Sandy looked at me closely. "So, now that you bring it up, what is your new job? You're being awfully closed-mouthed about it. Come on spill!"

I grinned. "You aren't going to believe me."

She looked offended. "Of course I will. You don't lie most of the time. And even when you are teasing, I can usually tell."

I blushed. "Uh, let me check something real quick first. I have to make sure it's okay." Sandy tapped her foot impatiently as I opened my email and looked at the copy of the legal documents I had signed earlier. I sighed. "Actually, Sandy, I can't. I had to sign a waiver not to tell anyone until a certain amount of time had passed or a certain event had happened. I think you might know when it does though. I'm really sorry. I can only talk in general terms about the job and not name names."

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Really? What the hell are you working on, military defense? Or is it a secret Hollywood project? Ooh, this is going to be interesting. Well, tell me everything you can about your day and what you do at work."

I laughed. "Alright, but you're going to get bored. I signed paperwork all morning, got my access to the building and computer stuff, including server permission, and ate lunch with my new boss and several coworkers. Then, I worked on something I can't talk about for a little while, before being asked to work on a bunch of computers that need fixed. I'm going to be working on them for a while, probably at least a month, around other things, and shadowing a few people to learn more about certain parts of my job. Oh, and watching some videos when I have the time." I stopped, letting Sandy think they were training videos, not the Game Grumps channel. I grinned as she rolled her eyes at me. 

"Ugh. Boring! So, any cute guys at work, at least? I know you're shy, but you can still notice and appreciate a cute butt."

I laughed. "You know, you are the second person in two days to ask me if I liked one of my coworkers at this new job." I shook my head, still smiling. "Lucy from the diner, saw me come in with someone yesterday, who I met while I was standing in the rain after my shift, and she thought I was going to hook up with him. He's really nice, and we were just being friendly, talking about how much we liked the rain, getting to know each other, and things like that. I asked both of them if they knew about any tech jobs. He did, and called someone at work, getting me the interview. So now I work with him. And yes, before you ask, he is very cute. And sweet. And a huge flirt, but I don't mind. I even flirted back a little."

Sandy grinned at me. "Good for you! So, any chance I can meet him sometime?"

I paused. "Maybe after I can tell you about my job. For now, all I can say is, I like him a lot, as a friend, but definitely wouldn't mind seeing where this goes. He ate dinner with me tonight too, after he was going around to lock up the office and found me still battling computer equipment in a closet. We ate at the diner." I yawned, the emotions of the day, and the fact that it was getting late, finally catching up with me. "Sorry Sandy. I need to get some sleep. I have a sixteen hour shift tomorrow at the diner. Ugh. And the next day. Then I work my other job from eight to six, Monday to Thursday, and the diner too, some of that time. I have Fridays off though, at least right now, unless I switch my hours around and work Friday so I can relax after my other job. I have the feeling I'm going to be dead on my feet by the end of my last two weeks at the diner. I gave my notice this morning, but told them to keep my contact info for emergencies, which I reserved the right to refuse." I yawned again. 

Sandy blinked at me. "You are going to kill yourself at that pace. Get some sleep, sweetie. You need it. So do I. When does my flight leave exactly?"

"Around eight, so you have to be at the airport at seven. Your mom will be here by six. I have to leave just a little after that myself. Have a goodnight, sweetie, and if you need me, I'll be right down the hall, okay? Try to get some sleep."

Sandy nodded and headed for bed. I yawned and stood up, stretching to my full height to work out my back kinks, my fingers stretched as far and high as they would go above my head. I was nearly brushing the ceiling, but didn't care at the moment. Once I had shaken all the cramps out and stretched until I was limber again, I walked down the hall to the guest room I was using. I got ready for bed quickly and set an alarm for the morning, settling into bed and sleep quickly. 

The next two days were a blur of exhausting work, punctuated by worry about Sandy. She called me both nights, in tears after a long day by Noah's side in the hospital. Apparently, he had a fairly bad brain injury from being thrown from the car and the doctors had been forced to put him in a medically-induced coma to let it heal before Sandy got there. All she could do was gently hold his very badly injured hand, talk to him, and pray. All of which she was doing. After I got her calm enough to sleep both nights, I hung up with a sigh and logged on to my computer, looking for apartments. I had found a few decent ones that were actually closer to work than even here was, but they were a little pricey. I could afford them, if I dipped into my main savings account from home, but I wasn't sure how much I really wanted to do that. Right now, I was kind of in a weird limbo state anyway, house sitting until Noah could be released and brought back here for care, or until Sandy had to come home because she couldn't take any more time off work. True, I wanted to be out of the apartment before Noah got back, but I wasn't sure when that was going to happen, and I wanted to save up more until I found the right place anyway. I went to bed, feeling stressed, exhausted, and frustrated both nights. Monday morning, when I woke up at six, I felt like a zombie. I rolled out of bed and showered, scrubbing my body and hair, trying to make sure I didn't still smell like the diner. I headed into the kitchen and made myself an entire pot of extra strong, triple caffeine tea, adding honey to try to give myself some energy. I drank three cups before I got ready to leave, eating a small breakfast while I worked on my animation. I had finished the partial animation over the weekend, posting it very early on Sunday morning. I had already started the next part of the series, recording all the voice work after I got home last night. I worked on drawing the animations for about an hour when I looked up and saw I needed to leave, so I packed my laptop up, grabbed my thermos and poured all the remaining tea in, picked up the rest of my stuff and ran out the door. I arrived at the Grump space at quarter to eight, right on time. I sighed with relief and headed in to work, still feeling exhausted, but happy.


	6. Hard Working Woman

I spent all morning Monday locked in battle with the computer equipment I was trying to fix, getting a good portion of the ones that were fairly easy to repair back up and working again. At twelve thirty, I went looking for Arin to let him know and to ask were to put the machines I had fixed. Dan spotted me first and headed over, waving. I smiled at him and waited. "Good morning Dan. How was your weekend?"

He looked at me closely. "A lot better than yours apparently. Jeez, are you okay? You look beyond exhausted. What happened? Too much celebrating the new job?"

I laughed. "Hardly. I worked all weekend and have been here since before eight. I need a lunch break. I was just looking for Arin to see where to put the computers I had fixed. Actually, I have a couple of other questions as well, but they can wait a little while." I yawned and stretched to my full height, my arms over my head, reaching for the ceiling, trying to stretch out the kink in my back from hunching over the computers all morning and wake myself up a little more. 

Dan grinned and looked surprised for a minute. "You are working two jobs at the same time, and you are still awake? How? And I always forget how tall you are. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I just have a kink in my back and knotted shoulders. I gave my two weeks notice last Friday, but that means I still have two weeks to work at the diner. I might have been able to get out of it, but they are already short staffed and I hate to leave anyone in the lurch. I'll get through it and the extra money will help me get a better apartment later. It will totally be worth it. Besides, it's not like I'm not used to being busy. But two days of double shifts was a lot. Oh, and I got a lot done on my animation project too. "

Dan shook his head. "When exactly do you sleep?"

"Uh, I usually get at least five or six hours in at night. This weekend was crazy for another reason as well though. My friend's fiancee was in an accident and she had to go fly out to the hospital where he is. She needed to talk every night after I was done at the diner, so I let her before I tried to go to bed. I needed to work on the animations after that to sleep."

Dan made a face and nodded. "Well that sucks. I hope he gets well soon." I nodded tightly. "I can help you find Arin though. He should be at his desk right now anyway. We need to record an episode after lunch." Dan started walking in the direction of Arin's office. I hesitated a few seconds before I followed him, catching up fairly quickly.

"Dan, if you need to talk to Arin alone, I can wait. Really." I suddenly yawned. I needed my caffeine. "I can find him later, after I grab some lunch and some serious caffeine. Ugh. I think I need about a gallon of energy drinks."

Dan laughed. "Yeah, don't do that. I think that much caffeine would actually kill you."

"Pff. Then I'd die awake. And happy. Ugh, seriously though, I need something to wake me up. I feel like a zombie today."

Dan chuckled. "Well, you could try something, it's extreme I know, but it's called sleeping. I hear it does wonders for you." I rolled my eyes and flapped a tired hand, dismissively. "Seriously, I'm worried about you. You need to sleep."

"Ehh. I'll be fine."

"You know, when you're this tired, half of what you say is just noises. You can't even form proper words."

"Meh." 

Danny laughed again. "You're so freaking adorable. Come on now. Arin should be here." He stepped into Arin's office and stopped suddenly. "Whoops. Sorry guys. Uh, did you know the door was wide open?"

I had literally run into Dan's back, so I backed up, not sure what was going on. Dan followed me out quickly and shut the door behind himself. I had a quick glimpse of Arin and Suzy, who were, shall we say 'otherwise engaged', just as the door shut. I blinked and looked at Dan. He was blushing. The noises from the office suddenly got a lot louder and more pornographic sounding. I grinned. "So, did you know they had a like-to-get-caught-having-sex kink, or is this new?" 

Dan choked. Then he started laughing so hard he actually fell over. "Oh, holy crap, I think you might be right." 

I giggled. "This is definitely going to be an interesting job." 

Dan grinned at me. "Come on, let's go get some food. I have the feeling my recording session might be cancelled. And I wouldn't be surprised if you can't find Arin this afternoon either." He stopped for a minute. "Unless..." He looked at me closely. "Hmm. Hey, you want to record in Arin's place this afternoon? Like we told you, you wouldn't be on camera, just talking. And we could hold the videos until after we get your intro video out, although I think that's scheduled to be released this week anyway. Have you done your Grump head drawing yet?" 

I blushed a little. "Uh, not officially. I actually drew a few as practice, but no one has seen them yet. Arin was going to have me do that this afternoon, I thought." I looked thoughtful for a second. "And yes, I'll record with you."

Dan grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to the editors desks. Brian, Barry, and two men I didn't recognize were over there working. The two men were quickly introduced to me as Matt and Ryan. I smiled at them and greeted them. Danny looked at Brian and Barry. "Dudes, can you get the introduction video for [Y/N] finished to release this week? I want to record some videos this afternoon with her. She has some sample Grump heads drawn, and if they won't work, we can always get an official one done by Arin."

Barry grinned. "We actually finished it this morning. We've been waiting on word from Arin before we release it though. Where is he?"

I laughed. "He's in his office. But really, don't go looking. Suzy is with him. Danny here walked in on something a few minutes ago." 

Dan blushed again. "I didn't know, okay? The door was wide open and..."

Barry and Brian were grinning. I laughed again, my eyes sparkling merrily. I heard Matt and Ryan laugh behind me. I patted Dan's shoulder, with mock comfort. "There, there. We won't mention your kinks on camera." That made everyone laugh even harder and Dan's blush got much brighter. 

Matt, or was it Ryan?, suddenly spoke up. "Oh, I like you. You're fun. Why haven't we met before?"

I turned around, still chuckling. "I just started last week." I yawned again, a huge yawn, making my jaw crack. "Sorry. I need to go find some quality caffeine. Not enough sleep." I waved at everyone and started to walk away, in search of food. I got to the kitchen and sighed. Shit. In all my confusion and tiredness this morning, I had forgotten about getting anything for lunch. I walked over to the soda machine and stared at it, unseeing. I didn't want to pay the prices listed, and nothing really looked good anyway. I bit back a groan and walked to the lounge area, flopping down in one of the bag beans, face first. Argh. Life was too hard. 

Dan, who had been following me chuckled. "Comfy?" I flipped him off one handed, too tired to do anything else. He laughed. "Take a nap. I'll call out for some food." I gave him a thumbs up and just laid there, my whole body relaxing for the first time since Friday night. I don't think I fell asleep, but I didn't hear Dan walk away either. After a few minutes, I shifted so I wasn't face first in the bean bag. I looked around, but no one was nearby, so I closed my eyes. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps coming this way, so I opened my eyes. I was surprised to see Mark walking over. 

He grinned when he saw me flopped out on the bean bag. "Hey, how's it going, [y/n]? Uh, have you seen Arin around?"

I lifted my head and looked at Mark. "Hi. You don't want to find him right now, believe me." 

Mark raised an eyebrow. I looked at him, steadily. He crossed his arms, tapped his foot, and stared down at me. "What are you talking about? Look, do you know where Arin is or not?"

I sat up. "Yeah. He's in his office. But you don't want to go in there right now."

Mark snorted and walked away, heading for Arin's office, which he entered without knocking. I laughed as he ran back out, his face the color of his freshly dyed hair. He came back over to where I was and pulled up a chair. "You could have warned me."

I laughed. "I did. You just didn't listen. Besides, I think Arin and Suzy are into that. Dan walked in on them a little while ago because they had left their door open. Now, if you're done amusing me for the day, I want to try to catch a nap during my lunch break. I'm tired." I flopped back down on the bean bag.

Mark looked at me closer. "Yeah, you look exhausted. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Just stressed and tired. I'll be fine by the end of next week." I closed my eyes. Mark made a noise that made me look at him. "What?"

"All your stress will magically be gone by the end of next week? How does that work?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Mark. I'll be done working my other job. Then I can focus on just this one, my animations, house-sitting, helping my friend, and looking for an apartment."

Mark looked at me again, staring disbelievingly at me now. "JUST THAT? Holy shit, no wonder you're tired. And you're working a second job?" I nodded. "Why?"

I sighed, sitting up again. "Because I hate to burn bridges or leave an employer in the lurch. I gave my other job two weeks notice on Friday, but they need me to cover extra weekend and nights until that's up. So I worked here Friday until seven, and Saturday and Sunday at the other job for sixteen hours."

Mark shook his head at me. "Wow. So two eight hour shifts on top of a starting a new job. That's tough."

I looked confused. "What? No, sixteen hours _each day._ Thirty two hours over the weekend. Plus dealing with a crisis my friend is having. Now shush. I'm trying to nap here. No more talking." I flopped back down, laid an arm over my face and closed my eyes. I fell asleep a few minutes later, but didn't sleep for long. I woke up to the smell of food. My stomach growled loudly and I sat up, seeing Dan headed my way. Dan grinned at me. I smiled back, feeling slightly less exhausted then before. He handed me a takeout container and a large energy drink. I smiled at him. "Thank you Dan. How much do I owe you for lunch here?"

Dan waved a hand. "This is my welcome to the office gift. Besides, you're helping me out this afternoon so I don't have to try to find Arin and hear the excuse he's going to give for what happened. The kinky bastard. And if I remember correctly, you paid for lunch last time. And dinner the other night."

I laughed. "All right. All right. Jeez. I was trying to be a responsible adult. See if I do that again." Dan chuckled and we settled in, eating our food. I downed the entire energy drink, hoping it would restore my brain to alertness a little more and let me get through the day. It did, and Dan and I recorded seven episodes, back to back, which were actually really good, from what the editors told me later. Our banter was lively and the gameplay was smooth and cohesive, making their jobs easier. It took us about four hours to record, so after that, I decided I needed another break before heading back to the computers for a little while. I flopped back down in the bean bag face first again and just laid there, an unmoving blob. 

Arin emerged from his office and came over to me with a grin. "So, how is your first week going [Y/N]? Are you having fun yet?"

I raised my head up and looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "It's great. I'm a zombie, but it's great. You and Suzy are really kinky. These beanbags are amazingly comfortable. That's what I've learned today. Oh, and I met Matt and Ryan. And I got a whole slew of computers fixed and don't know what to do with them now. And I recorded seven episodes with Danny, since you were busy. Now I'm going to lay here and die. Ergh." I flopped my head back down into the beanbag. 

Dan, who had come over when he saw Arin laughed. "She's right. She's a work horse. Did you know she worked thirty two hours for her other job this weekend? I don't know how she's still awake. Hey, [y/n], do you want some coffee?"

I gave the thumbs up, too tired to move anymore. I heard Dan laugh as he walked away. Arin dragged a chair over next to me. "Is that true? You worked that many hours over the weekend, and then did all that here?" I lifted my head to look at him, bleary eyed, and nodded. "Holy shit! Don't kill yourself! Jeez. Listen, it sounds like you already worked more than a full day's worth here. What time were you supposed to go home?"

I looked at the clock, but my eyes refused to focus. "I'm supposed to be here until six. What time is it now? My eyes won't seem to focus..."

Arin shook his head. "Just take a nap then. It's four now. I'm officially letting you off for the rest of the day, as long as you promise to either have Dan drive you home, call a cab, or take a nap there until we are all leaving for the day. You clearly need sleep. I'll go check the computers. Did you label the ones you finished with?" I nodded and closed my eyes again, flopping my head down one more time. I fell asleep a few minutes later. I didn't wake up until Danny came in, leaned down, and gently shook my shoulder.

I sat up, feeling more awake. "Wha? Oh, hi Dan. Where is everyone? What time is it?"

Dan chuckled. "It's seven o'clock. I promised to wake you up and make sure you were okay to drive home. How are you feeling now?"

I yawned. "Tired, but not exhausted. I'll be fine to drive home. I just need to sleep as soon as I get there. I'm unplugging my phone tonight. Thanks for checking on me Dan!" I stood up, stretching and headed back to my desk, grabbing my stuff, including my car keys. I drove home carefully, stopping at a fast food drive thru window for dinner, which I ate half of on the drive. I carried the rest in the apartment, ate quickly, and fell asleep as soon as I cleaned up. I was wearing myself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to me...
> 
> Here's the present for my readers, an update! Now, there will probably be no updates until the middle of next week on any stories. I have plans for the weekend and another spinal tap Monday, which is likely to knock me out of commission until Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest. It sucks, I know, but I will squeeze out an update to something if I can.


	7. I'm So Tired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first full week as a new Grump is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone noticed anything about the chapter titles?
> 
> \-----------------------------------------------------------

I woke up on Tuesday full of renewed energy and managed to ride it out the next two days, finishing all the extra hours at the diner by Thursday night. I smiled as I headed home at nine o'clock, planning to crash and sleep late the next morning. I wasn't expecting Sandy to be standing in the middle of her living room, crying. I Had a mental flashback to the previous Friday and dragged myself to her side, too exhausted to run. "Sandy?"

"Oh my god, [Y/N]! There you are! I thought something had happened to you. You didn't answer your phone last night and when i called the diner at lunch, they hadn't seen you since you went home last night at ten. Why the hell were you working so late? And why didn't you answer the phone?"

"Slow down Sandy. Listen, I need to sit down. I'm so far beyond exhausted that i can barely form a coherent thought. One thing at a time please." I flopped down on the couch. "I didn't hear the phone ring last night." I grabbed a pillow and put my head on it, face first. 

Sandy crossed her arms. "So why were you working so late? You never work that late on a weeknight."

I lifted my head back up and looked at her. Suddenly she noticed how dark the circles under my eyes were and how red my eyes were. "I'm working two demanding full time jobs. Plus, I'm doing my animation. And helping you deal with everything. Can we just say I'm a bit overstretched and leave it alone? So, how's Noah?"

"Awake. He has some pretty bad amnesia though and needs to stay in the hospital for at least another month. I had to fly back to try to get the extra time off. My boss finally agreed to it as unpaid leave." She looked worried and chewed on her lower lip. "[Y/N], I had no idea you were this tired. You should have told me. I have other people I could have called!" I waved a hand, too weary to respond. 

After a few minutes, I had regained enough energy to sit up, so I did and I looked at my phone, checking for messages. I was pleasantly surprised to see two new messages. One was from Dan, wishing me a good night, asking me to stop by the office to record with him again tomorrow, if I was up to it, and inviting me out to dinner on Saturday night. The other was from Mark, who wanted to know if I was available to work on a collab with him this weekend and inviting me to a party tomorrow night. I grinned as I read, suddenly having a very busy social life for once. Then I remembered I had to work Saturday, a double shift, so I immediately texted Dan back, apologizing for being busy on Saturday, but agreeing to come in and record tomorrow afternoon. I then texted Mark back and told him about my work schedule over the weekend, but that I would be happy to come to the party with him. I asked for the details, and how formal it was going to be. After I sent the text I looked up. Sandy was looking at me curiously. "What? Sandy why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why are you grinning like that, [y/n]? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love seeing you happy. I'm just really surprised to see you grinning like that at your phone. Who contacted you?"

I blushed. "Um, a couple of guys I met at work. They both asked me to do some things with them. I'm happy to be making friends."

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Just friends? What did they ask you to do?"

"Well, both asked me to do something work related, and both asked me to do something social."

Sandy grinned at me. "And?"

"And I had to turn one down gently for the social event he asked for, because of working, and turn the other guy down for the extra work related event, at least for now. Then I agreed to the other two events. Now, I need to go to bed. I'm exhausted and have to go do some things tomorrow, including get ready and go to a party tomorrow night. Goodnight Sandy."

"Night. It's nice to see you finally coming out of your shell a little, [y/n]. Do you need any help getting ready for the party?"

"I'll let you know. I don't have any details yet." I got up and headed back to bed, taking my phone and charger back with me. I got ready for bed and climbed in, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I missed the pings of both men answering me. I even slept late the next day, a luxury I hadn't had in far too long. When I finally dragged myself out of bed, it was eleven o'clock. I checked my phone as soon as I got out of the shower. Dan wanted me to come in around noon. I smiled and started getting dressed, opting for comfy jeans and my 'Self-Rescuing Princess' tee shirt. I slid on my shoes, grabbed my wallet and keys, and ran a brush through my hair, just letting it stay down and loose as I left. I also grabbed my cell phone, sticking it in my pocket on my way out the door. I decided I had just enough time for a quick stop for a drink on my way in and opted for the nearest drive thru window, getting a large smoothie. Then I parked at the Grump Offices and headed in, arriving at exactly five minutes to twelve. 

When I got inside, I looked around for Dan, but didn't see him until I got over to the recording area. Arin was there as well. They both waved me over as soon as they saw me. "Hi, [y/n]! Glad you could make it. Arin and I were just getting ready to setup for the afternoon. We want you to record with us today, like I asked in my text, so you get to choose the game."

I smiled. "Hi Danny. Hi Arin." I set my smoothie down and stepped over to the game shelves and started browsing. Eventually I had three games that looked like decent choices and I brought them all over. "Will one of these work?"

Arin looked them over and grinned. "Any of these will be fine. We haven't played them on the channel yet, so you can pick which one you want."

I grinned and shook my head. "I really don't have a preference. Danny, why don't you pick?"

Dan made his selection and I put the other games back. We continued to get things ready to record, doing sound checks, making sure the microphones were secured properly and at a good height to pick us up without being in our way. I stretched a little and got ready to settle down to record, but Arin stopped me. "Okay, before we actually record, let's take a lunch break."

"Uh, why did you have me come in before you stopped for lunch? I mean, not that I mind hanging out here, but I'm curious about why."

Dan smiled at me. "That's my fault. Since you couldn't make it to dinner tomorrow, I wanted to eat with you today. I'm busy tonight, so I thought we could get some food together now, unless you already ate?" I shook my head. "Great! What are you in the mood for?"

Arin grinned. "Just ask her on a proper date, Danny. Jesus. Stop dancing around it. You know you want to." Both Dan and I blushed, and I kept my eyes down, looking at the floor.

Dan cleared his throat. "Shut up, Arin." Dan came over to me and suddenly grabbed my hand. "So, [y/n], would like to? Go on a date with me I mean. Sometime soon. No pressure. It's okay if you don't want to."

I looked at him, surprised. "Danny, I would love to go on a date with you. Can we wait until next weekend is over? I'll be done at the diner, and hopefully not so exhausted." I looked down at the floor again. "I understand if you don't want to wait."

Dan pulled me in for a hug. "Babe, I'll wait. In the mean time, we are still going to spend a lot of time together. In fact, I want to spend as much time with you as possible." I smiled brightly and hugged him back. 

Arin grinned at the two of us. "Well, that's just ridiculously sweet. Now, can we please focus. I'm hungry. What are we going to eat, and who's going to get it?"

I chuckled, extracting myself gently from Danny's embrace and sitting down on the beanbag. "What are you two in the mood for? The diner is close and I happen to know they will deliver if we order enough food. And they have a pretty wide variety of stuff. We could check to see if anyone else wants anything and get a big group order, have it delivered, and settle up the bill with whoever pays after we get the food. Or I like pizza, Chinese, or subs. Whatever you want really, I'm not all that picky." I leaned against the post that the beanbag was next to, getting comfortable.

Dan sat down on the couch. "Uh, what exactly does the diner have, besides the burgers, chili fries, and shakes? I can't seem to remember."

I groaned. "Now you want me to either list everything off or go get the menus I stashed away on my desk? I just got settled." 

Arin laughed. "Nope. Hang on a minute." Arin turned his head away from us and cupped his hands "YO! JACK!" 

Jack Walsh, the office intern, came over at a fast walk. "What's up Arin? Hi Dan. Hi [y/n]."

We nodded to him. "Go run to [y/n]'s desk and get the stack of menus for [diner's name]. We're making an office order and I want everyone to have a copy. Oh, and get everybody in here." Jack walked off again at Arin's command, headed for my desk. I leaned my head against the pillar again while we waited, closing my eyes. When I opened them again, everyone was gathering around Arin. Dan looked around and stood up, walking the three steps over to the beanbag, and sat down next to me. There was plenty of room, and I smiled at him, happy. Suzy immediately sat down where Dan had been, next to Arin. Jack passed the menus out while Arin explained what the plan was. "Okay, since everyone's here, we're going to order some lunch from the diner our newest Grump works at. [Y/N] has kindly provided menus and informed us they deliver, so look the menu over and let me know what you want. If you have questions, [y/n] can probably answer them. Oh, and I HIGHLY recommend the milkshakes. They are crazy good."

Everyone nodded and looked over the menus. I stayed where I was, knowing the menu by heart, or at least well enough to know what I wanted. I was going to get a flaming turkey cheeseburger with chili fries and a banana and cookies and cream shake. And extra pickles for the burger. Mark was there again and he came over, sitting down on my other side. "Hey [y/n], thanks for agreeing to come to the party with me tonight." I opened my eyes and looked at him with a small smile. He smiled hugely at me. "So what do you recommend?"

"I like the burgers and chili cheese fries, with extra peppers. And the milkshakes are really, really good. Like insanely good." 

Dan laughed. "You're right about the shakes. Now, what's this about a party tonight?"

I looked over at Dan. "Mark texted me last night and invited me to go to a party with him tonight. I thought it would be a good way for me to meet some new people here in LA., so I agreed." I turned back towards Mark. "So, how dressy is this party? Like jeans and tee shirts, or do I need to drag out a dress and makeup?"

Mark grinned. "Wear whatever you're comfortable in. You look good in everything you wear." I blushed slightly.

Dan agreed. "You really do. What party are you going to, Mark?" Mark explained and Dan grinned. "Well, looks like I'll see you both there. Now, we better tell Arin our food order so he can call. He's getting annoyed already and you know how he gets when he's really hungry."

We all chuckled and told Arin what we wanted. I asked him to mention my food was for me, so the line chef would know how spicy to make it, and suddenly everyone was teasing me, curious why it made a difference. I didn't explain, and enjoyed the gentle teasing. Almost everyone stayed where they were while we waited for the food to get here, opting to just enjoy the break in the workday, and each other's company. Dan and Mark were having a lively discussion about my game, since I had sent them both copies, and I was taking mental notes, hoping to fix the few issues they had found and enjoying the feedback. When Mark mentioned he had sent the game to a few friends, I couldn't contain my curiosity. "Who did you send it to Mark? Anyone I might know of?"

Mark laughed. "Of course. I sent it to everyone on Revelmode, Wade, Bob, and Matthias." I swallowed nervously. "I want to send it to Cry and Yami as well, but I wanted to at least tell you before I just sent it out to everyone. Especially if you are considering selling it."

I ducked my head, trying to think. "Uh thanks for checking with me. G-go ahead and send it to them. But please, no one else yet. I still feel like it's not done, and I don't want to disappoint people." I pulled my knees up to my face, wrapping my arms around them, burying my face for a minute. Suddenly, I felt arms wrapped around my shoulders and looked up to see two worried sets of eyes looking at me, full of concern. Both Dan and Mark had wrapped an arm around me. I looked at the two of them. "Sorry to worry you guys. I'm just nervous about people seeing my work and not liking it. Or them wanting to meet me." I blushed a little again. "That honestly just sounded like such a huge number of people to me that I got a little anxious." 

Dan's arm around me tightened for a minute. "Hey, you don't need to apologize for feeling the way you feel. It's fine. I'm just sorry you feel anxious in the first place."

Mark nodded, adding his own comment. "Yeah. I didn't even think of the fact that you might be nervous about sending that file to anyone. I almost forgot how shy you are. Oh, hey, is that going to be a problem at the party tonight?"

I looked down, thinking. "Maybe. You'll probably be able to tell if I can't handle things. I'll just curl up in a tight little ball in the corner and hide as much as I can. I can try to be more social, but it's really hard for me and I hate it. That's a big part of why I got into computers in the first place." I chuckled, dryly. "Well, that and I'm a giant geek." Danny and Mark chuckled along with me and the moment eased. Both men moved away from me and we call sat comfortably on the beanbag, talking about computers and video games until the food came. I grinned when I saw how mine was marked. My name was written in big letters with flames and a badly drawn skull and crossbones underneath. I grabbed my food before anyone could say anything and snagged my milkshake, settling in a more comfortable seat as I ate, still talking to Mark and Danny. 

After everyone was done eating, Arin and Dan were ready to record again, so we headed over to the setup and got ourselves arranged, starting the game and recording. We managed to make it through the rest of the work day with no more major drama and I left to go get ready for the party. Mark was going to come by and pick me up in just over a hour and a half, so I needed to get ready fast. Sandy was going to be in for quite a surprise tonight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the first chapter of the sequel to **_On The Other Side Of The Camera_** out...


	8. Let's Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to get social...

Sandy was surprised to see me home so early in the day, even when I explained it was actually supposed to be my day off. She proceeded to tell me she didn't think workaholics ever took time off. I groaned. "Hey cut me some slack here. I'm trying to be social today. And cute guys asked me to do things with them. Actually, I even got asked on a proper date, sort of. And it ended up the work I needed to go in for today was a ruse to get me to spend time with one of the cuties. He wanted to make sure I actually ate some lunch today, so he asked me to come in earlier than they needed me. just so he could spend some extra time with me." I blushed. "A coworker commented on it and teased him, which ended up resulting in him asking me out. I said yes, as long as he didn't mind waiting until after I finish working at the diner next weekend."

Sandy grabbed my hands. "Oh sweetie, that's wonderful. And I know social situations are hard for you. I have never understood what the problem is though. You seem to do well enough when you talk to people."

I blushed. "Thanks. I'm just really shy. And it takes a lot of energy to pay attention to social cues and not screw up. Actually, work is great. Everyone else is a geek too, so I don't have to worry about it, and they all like me. I haven't been hiding or pretending around them, and they still like me. In fact, two guys from work are both interested in me. I'm not quite sure how that happened, or what I'm going to do about it yet. It's kind of novel. I mean, I've hardly dated anyone since college and even then I didn't date all that much." I bit my lip and shook my head. "That's a problem to deal with later, anyway. I need to go figure out what to wear to this party. I have no idea how dressed up I need to be, other than that it's casual. And the two men I like are both going to be there. In fact, one of them is picking me up from here in an hour to take me to the party. I have to go get ready." I ran out of the room, heading for the bathroom for a shower. After I finished showering, washing and drying my hair, I headed back to Sandy's guest room, or 'my' room, as she had been calling it while I was here. I was wrapped in a towel, and Sandy scared me into nearly dropping it when she suddenly appeared on the bed, waiting for me. "Jesus, why did you need to scare the crap out of me like that, Sandy? I told you, I need to get ready to go to this party."

Sandy grinned. "Relax. I wanted to see if I could help you get ready or give you any advice about what to wear tonight. i know you don't feel all that comfortable in social gatherings, so I'm going to try to help."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks? And from what the guys told me about who I was going to meet, I can dress as casually as I would for work. In fact, several of my coworkers are going directly from work to the party. I just wanted to make an impression."

Sandy rolled her eyes at me. "Of course. And the two cute guys you keep mentioning don't factor in at all." I blushed, but didn't answer. "That's what I thought. Now, first things first. Skirt, dress, or dressy pants?"

I blinked. "Uh, jeans?"

Sandy shook her head emphatically. "No. Even if it is casual, jeans are not going to win any man's heart."

I made a face and whined a little. "Sandy! I want to be comfortable. I hate dresses." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "No fucking way am I wearing heels either. Screw that." 

Sandy sighed. "Fine. But at least wear something decent. I mean, honestly. It's like trying to dress a toddler."

I grinned. "No, toddlers are short and cranky. I am tall and stubborn. There's a difference. Besides, both guys commented today that they liked everything I wear." I blushed and smiled remembering the compliments. 

Sandy grinned at me. "Good. Then you just want to emphasize what they already find appealing. Which is you, apparently. Now, is this a date, or are you just going to meet some other people?"

I blinked. "Um, I honestly have no idea. I mean, it never occurred to me that the guy who asked me might want this to be a date. I'm not too good with those social cues. I thought it might be just to meet some of his friends in the area, who the other guy is also friends with. When he found out about the party tonight and asked a few questions, he told me he had been invited and would see me there."

Sandy just looked at me. "Unbelievable. You don't even know if this is a date? How are you supposed to know how to dress? Nevermind, I'll take over here. You fix your hair."

I reached up. "I already did my hair. I brushed it and dried it. That's all I had planned to do. Why? Does it look bad? Is it sticking up funny somewhere?" I spun around searching for a mirror.

"Oh sweetie. Here, wear this." Sandy handed me a black, sparkly skirt, one I rarely wore, even counting the fact that I barely ever wore skirts in the first place, because it was tight and somewhat short. I looked at the skirt, uncomfortably aware of Sandy staring at me. "Go on. Trust me. Here, wear it with this top. And these sandals. Good. Get dressed." I stepped over to my dresser and grabbed underwear, changing close behind the screen I had set up beside it. I wiggled myself into the skirt and put the ruby red top on, dubiously. Then I stepped into my silver sandals and stepped back out. 

"I don't know about this outfit Sandy. I feel kind of trampy. I mean, I never wear a skirt this short or tight. And this shirt doesn't even come near the top of the skirt."

Sandy laughed. "Sweetie, please. It's my shirt and it's not that short. It only shows like two inches of your stomach. And the skirt comes almost all the way down to your knees. You need to loosen up a bit. Three inches above the knee is not trampy. Now, get over here and let me help you do your hair." 

I blushed brightly and walked over to her. "Sorry. I just don't dress girl. This feels really awkward." 

Sandy giggled. "Oh, I know sweetie. You always wear the same things. Even when you had the choice at the diner, you chose the pants over the skirt. Now, let's curl your hair a little. Maybe some soft curls around the sides and front? Or a ponytail with big loose curls and a few loose strands around the sides. What do you think?"

"Uh. Nothing too hard to maintain, please. Maybe the ponytail. And I'm not doing much makeup." Sandy shook her head at me and sighed. "Listen, you can do my hair on the condition I do my own makeup. In fact, I'll do my makeup at the mirror while you do my hair, okay?"

Sandy nodded. "Fine. You do your makeup while I work." We headed over to the vanity table with a large mirror and I grabbed my makeup case, pulling it over and emptying the contents. I looked down at my pitiful collection and sighed. I looked in the mirror again with a small frown. I really hated wearing makeup, not because I was bad at it or anything, but I just hated how long it took to apply and how quickly it smudged, smeared, and generally wore off. I looked down at my makeup again with a sigh and picked up the under eye concealer, blending away the dark shadows I had from overworking and not enough sleep. Next I applied the foundation, blush, and mascara. I added some smoky red eyeshadow, drew on cat's eye eyeliner in black, and finished off with a crimson lipstick that matched the top I had on rather well. When I was done, I looked back at Sandy, adjusting my glasses so I could see what she was doing better. She had a curling iron and was gently curling soft curls around my ears and the front of my face. She saw me watching and smiled. "Nearly done, [y/n]. Now, am I going to get to meet the mystery man coming to pick you up, or will I have to try to pry it out of you later, when you are drunk, sleep deprived, or sick? I can wait if I have to, but I'd rather meet them now. You know I'll bug you until I find out."

I smirked at her. "When has that ever worked on me? You still haven't managed to pry anything out of me no matter how drunk you got me. I just threw up on you. I can see if he wants to meet you, okay? He might just want to head to the party." I turned and looked in the mirror. "God, this is so not me. I never dress this way. I blame you for this. Just like that time we went bar hopping. Remember? I had six guys hit on me before we were there an hour and you got so pissed you actually smacked the last one." I chuckled. "Good think he was drunk. You could have been in trouble."

Sandy laughed as well. "Yeah, but you were being to polite. The guys weren't getting the message. I still don't know why they all came on to you. There were five of us at the bar and you were the only one who got hit on."

I grinned. "I know. It was kind of hilarious. Debbie and Sharon looked so sour after the third time and by the time you smacked the guy, they actually left. All because you made me borrow an outfit. I hope tonight goes better. Hopefully, there will be fewer drunks for one thing."

Sandy looked at me, worry suddenly taking over her face. "[Y/N], call me if you need a sudden ride home. I'm not going anywhere tonight and now that you say that, I'm kind of worried about you."

I smiled a genuine smile. "Sandy, I'll be fine. I happen to know at least one person won't be drinking and I can handle a few drunks. But I promise, if I need you, I will call and have you come get me." I leaned forward and hugged Sandy. She smiled and hugged me back tight.

"Thanks sweetie. I know you can take care of yourself, I'm just worried. You are so shy and can get overwhelmed." I nodded, looking down. "But hey, this should be fun for you. Come on, let's go wait for your ride!" I laughed just as there was a knock on the front door. Sandy beat me to the door by a few steps, mostly because my skirt was hindering my usual long strides. She grinned and stuck out her tongue at me before turning and opening the door to find Mark standing there, casually dressed in his usual dark jeans and red flannel shirt, leaning on the wall, checking his phone with a small smile on his face. Sandy made a noise that's hard to describe, between a squeal, a gasp, and a shriek and closed the door again, slumping against it. 

I fought back a grin and looked at her, feigning concern. "Sandy? Is something wrong?"

"That was Markiplier. Markiplier is standing on my doorstep."

"Then maybe you should open the door up again and offer to let him come in. I need to go grab my purse. I'll be right back." I lost the battle to keep a straight face as soon as I turned around, barely able to conceal the giggle fit I had coming on. I grabbed my purse and sat down on the couch, just as Sandy pulled herself together enough to open the door again. 

"Uh, Hi." Sandy's voice squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Hi. Can I help you, M-Markiplier?"

Mark laughed. "[Y/N]? Did you not tell her who was coming to get you?" Sandy spun around and looked at me with huge eyes.

I stood back up and walked over. "Mark, you goof, I can't tell her about work. I had to sign a contract. I didn't know if you were going to come to the door either, or just wait for me out by your car." I shook my head as Mark laughed. His laughter died suddenly when I stepped into view around the door.

"Whoa." He looked at me again, stunned. "Wow. I had no idea..."

I looked at him, waiting for him to finish the thought. Sandy grinned and gave me a shove. "Go to your party. You big loser. I can't believe you didn't tell me you work with Markiplier. You know what a fan I am!"

Mark laughed. I blushed. He turned to me with a wink and whispered his comment to me. "I'm not under any contracts. Arin can't do anything to me if I tell." He turned back to Sandy. "Always nice to meet a fan. Call me Mark." He held out his hand for a handshake. Sandy looked at it lost for a few seconds then grabbed it and shook his hand before letting go and blushing hugely. Mark grinned. "Now, what [y/n] couldn't tell you apparently is she was hired by the Game Grumps last week, which is how I met her. I'm sure she's been dying to tell you, but I think she has to keep it a secret until they release her official welcome video." He turned back to me. "I thought Matt said they were going to do that today?"

I shrugged. "Last I knew, Brian had it all ready to go, and I turned in my Grump head, but we were waiting for Arin's approval. That was Monday though. Maybe he forgot? Or maybe he didn't like my drawing. I can ask him when I see him next though. I mean he and Danny had me come in a record today, so I thought they were ready to release the video, but I don't know." Sandy squeaked. I looked over at her. She had moved to the couch and was holding the remote in her hand, looking at the YouTube app on her smart TV, checking out the Game Grumps channel. 

"[Y/N], I saw they had a new Grump announcement up yesterday, but I didn't know that was you!"

I sighed. "I really need to start watching the channel." I laughed a dry laugh. "In my excessive free time."

Mark grinned. "Come on, we need to head out. Everyone is going to be there already and now I can't wait to show you off to my friends. Wow, that really is some outfit." Mark shook his head suddenly, attempting to clear his head, I think. "Um, bye, [y/n]'s roommate!"

I turned to him. "Her name is Sandy." I called out to her as we walked away. "Bye Sandy. See you later!" Sandy grinned and waved me off, settling in the couch to watch my introduction video. Mark lead me out to his car and opened the door for me. I slid in, he closed the door, got in the drivers seat, and we drove to party, chatting pleasantly as we drove. As soon as we parked, I looked out to see a large house, lit up with fairy lights and lanterns, a large backyard full of people, a pool with tables and seating setup, and party decorations everywhere. Mark immediately hopped out and came over to my side of the car, opening the door before I could gather my thoughts and purse, and held out a hand, offering to assist me out of the car. I smiled and took it, exiting the car gracefully for once in my life. Mark grinned and took my elbow, gently guiding me to the backyard and began introducing me to the other people. I did my best to remember names and faces, but I was soon overwhelmed. Mark stepped away after a little while, having been drawn into a conversation with Matthew Patrick (MatPat). I headed over to the table with the food and looked it over, grabbing a small plate of snacks, a drink, and sitting down, slightly away from everyone else, just watching, trying to remember names and not be so socially awkward.

Dan spotted me sitting alone a little while later and headed over. "Hey pretty lady. How are you doing?"

I smiled at him. "Hi Danny. I'm a little overwhelmed to be honest. There are so many people and I'm terrible at remembering names. I'm just hoping I don't insult anyone while I'm here."

Dan smiled at me. "Babe, you'll do fine. Do you want me to sit with you for a little while? I think I know everyone here, and I can help you figure out who's who."

I looked at him. "Dan, you don't have to do that. Aren't they your friends too? Shouldn't you talk to them, not hang back with the socially inept loser?" I looked down, curling in on myself slightly without realizing it. 

Suddenly I felt Dan's hand on my shoulder. "[Y/N], you aren't a loser. You're a lot of fun. You're just shy. And yes, they are my friends, but I want to hang out with the prettiest girl at the party. Please, don't send me away." I blushed and looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked serious. I sat up a little straighter and tried to put on a brave face. Dan grinned. "That's a lot better. Now, most of the other Grumps are here already. Do you want to come hang out with us? We tend to end up in the same place for some reason, talking together. It would let you be social without too many new people at once. I mean, if you want. And where's Mark? I thought he was bringing you as a guest? Why did he bring you if he was just going to abandon you?"

I shook my head. "Danny, he didn't abandon me. He introduced me to a whole bunch of people and then got drawn off into a conversation elsewhere. I'm a big girl. I don't need a babysitter. And I can come hang out with the rest of the group. I like hanging out with all of you. I know you get me. And everyone is a lot of fun to talk to." I sighed. "I should have just stayed home tonight and worked on my game. I had an idea and I really need to patch a few things soon, before I forget."

Dan laughed. "Oh, I'm so glad you decided to come though. You spend way too much time working. And I wouldn't have gotten to see that sexy outfit. You really do have amazing legs you know. And a super sexy, cute butt. Wow. Actually all of you is sexy and cute." 

I blushed again, brighter than before and smiled. "Thank you Danny. And thank you for noticing I was lonely."

Dan grinned. "Hey, I love rescuing sexy babes at parties. Besides, now I can say I got to steal you from Mark. So come on, let's go. I see Arin and Suzy looking around, probably wondering where I wandered off to." I chuckled as we walked over to the table where all the other Grumps were sitting. Dan grinned at the group. "Look who I managed to steal from Mark."

I laughed again. "Dan! He was talking to other people. You didn't steal me." I was grinning as I sat down next to Suzy. 

Matt, Ryan, and Arin looked at me with raised eyebrows and whistled. Arin's startled comment surprised me. "Whoa. I had no idea I had hired such a hottie. Sorry Suz, but she is a knockout."

Suzy laughed. "Yeah, I'm not gonna argue." She turned to me, smiling. "That is a killer outfit. And I love your hair that way. You should wear it like that more often."

I giggled. "Nope. I hate styling my hair. It always takes WAY to long. I actually had a friend who insisted I wear this and did my hair while I was doing my makeup, She'll be delighted to hear this was a hit. And it's her shirt anyway. I way prefer to dress comfortably. Besides, I like the geek shirts I usually wear."

Suzy laughed again. "Yeah, and it's easier to hide that way." 

I blushed. "Well, yeah. Fair enough. I don't mind that people can overlook me more in my usual clothes."

Suzy shook her head with a smile. "You shouldn't try to hide so much. You're an amazing person, but it's hard to tell from how you act sometimes. I don't think I've ever seen someone quite as shy as you." 

I blushed again and looked away. "I'm actually really trying right now. This is just so far out of my comfort zone, it's crazy." I looked back up. "Honestly, if I hadn't gotten the job with the Grumps, I'm not sure how I would have found a job. I know I have the skills and training, but the interviews are so hard for me I sometimes panic and can't even get my voice to work right." I smiled a little. "Honestly, if I hadn't met Dan that day the way I did, I doubt I could have faced meeting all of you either. Dan's great and he helped me feel a lot more at ease. Arin was a little abrasive that day."

Suzy laughed. "Yeah, he was stressed. He mentioned he hadn't eaten and was pretty grouchy. A having some food helped. It was pretty lucky you had some with you."

I chuckled. "Yeah. Good thing I had hardly eaten anything for two days and decided I wanted some food to take home. I never remember to eat while I'm waiting tables and since I was working so many hours, I had been living on one or two meals every three days pretty much, and some snacks. Oh, by the way, does anyone at the Grump offices like spicy food?"

Suzy looked curiously at me. "I'm not sure. I mean, how spicy are you talking?"

Arin leaned over, having heard the new topic of discussion. "Are you a spice wimp? Is that why you had to have the special order from the diner the other day?"

I laughed loudly, making several heads turn our way. "No. Not at all Arin. I needed it separate because if they know it's for me, they make it about three hundred percent spicier than normal. I'm a total chili head." I chuckled. "If we ever need someone on the Grumps to eat hot foods, I'm your woman. A former friend of mine once ate some of my cooking without letting me warn her and she ended up in the hospital, ruining our friendship. I didn't know she was going to eat it or that she had an ulcer that was going to rupture, but it didn't seem to matter to her." I shook my head sadly. "That's why I was checking. I need to know how spicy to make food when I cook it to bring it in. I don't HAVE to make it super spicy, I just usually do when I'm only cooking for myself. The cooks at the diner actually got some hot sauce from me that they use to make the food for me." I grinned. "I may be extremely shy, but I'm spicy." Danny heard me and crackled up. So did most of the other Grumps. I chuckled and added "So if you like having taste buds and a working tongue, don't steal my lunches out of the fridge. The _mildest_ peppers I ever use are jalapenos, and that's only when I can get them fresh or to supplement other spices. I prefer habeneros or a hot sauce blended with multiple different peppers."

Dan wrapped one arm around me and hugged me into his side. "You're awesome. Thanks for warning all of us. That could have been embarrassing." I grinned and nodded, leaning into his side for a minute. Just them Mark came over and made a noise.

I looked at him. "Hey Mark. How's it going?"

Mark scowled. "It was fine until I saw my date leaning into someone else." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me for a long minute.

I started to sit up, but Dan pulled me in tighter. "Hey, stay here. He left you alone in a large group of strangers. I rescued you, remember?" I sighed.

"Danny, you aren't wrong here. Mark, you aren't exactly either, but I never said this was a date. I mean, we never said what this was. You walked off, talking to some of your other friends. I started to have a hard time and sat down, alone for a while, until Danny came over and brought me to the Grump table here." I looked at Mark. "I hope you aren't too mad." I turned to Dan. "You can let me go." Danny sighed and released me, and I sat back up straight.

Mark still looked slightly disgruntled, but he wasn't glaring at Dan anymore. Mark made me scoot over and sat on the edge of the bench I was on as soon as I made room. Both Dan and Mark now had me sandwiched between them, tightly. As soon as I thought this, I looked down, trying to hide the direction of my thoughts and the sudden dirty turn my brain took. Suzy's giggle and Arin's chuckle made me look up at them though. Suzy grinned, still giggling slightly. "Oh god. You're expression a second ago was hilarious. It went from uncomfortable to panic to veiled in a blink. What happened?"

I blushed. "I just had a thought. Not worth sharing."

Suzy grinned bigger. "You have to share now. I bet it was a dirty one. Come on, spill. We won't kink shame you. I promise."

I laughed loudly again. "You better not. I have dirt on you and Arin already. Alright, here it is." I lowered my voice to a whisper and leaned in so only she could hear me. Arin leaned in to hear as well, and I let him. "I was just thinking that both Dan and Mark were trying to squash me into a sandwich. My brain then took off in another direction..."

Arin choked, laughed so hard he fell over, and completely lost it. I blushed. Suzy laughed, doubling over. Everyone else was demanding to know what I said. I refused to tell them, catching Suzy's eye. When she finally calmed down enough to speak again, she looked at me and winked bawdily. "I am so glad I asked. And you know, I bet you're right." I chuckled and blush got brighter. Mark and Dan were both trying to get Arin to tell them what I said, having jumped up and rushed over to him to try to see what had happened. Suzy and I both looked at them, a gleam of mischief in our eyes. Suzy got up and came over to sit next to me, so we could whisper together. She immediately caught my eye and whispered to me "You look ready to reach out and grab one of them. Which one?"

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Who said just one?"

Suzy grinned again and swatted my arm. "You're so much fun to hang out with." 

I smiled. "Thanks Suzy. You are too. I wish all my friends were as cool as you. My friend I'm rooming with right now is pretty cool, but she's not really a geek and doesn't understand. I mean she has a few hobbies that are geeky and she watches YouTube with me, but it's not the same. When I talk about LARPing or Cosplay, she just stares at me like I'm a talking fish. And her eyes glaze over completely when I talk about animation or game design. I mean she likes to look at them, but she just can't understand, or won't, what I mean when I talk about the behind the scenes stuff." I shook my head. "Don't get me wrong, she's an awesome person, but she's also getting married soon and all she wants to talk about are wedding minutia that bore me to death. I can honestly say, I really don't care if the indoor reception tables have the exact same type, thread count, and color table cloths as the chair covering outside for the wedding. Or what the color ratio of the after dinner mints is."

Suzy chuckled. "She's just geeking out about those things."

"Oh, I know. But she can't understand that I really, sincerely, don't give a shit. She thinks if she talks about them long enough, in enough detail, she can change my mind. Bleah." I made a face. "I really hope not. I like my mind the way it is."

Suzy giggled. Conversations around the table had resumed and Arin was sitting on the bench across from us again. Dan was seated next to him now, and Mark had pulled over a chair. Ryan, who had been next to Dan, had slid over, leaving me lots of space, but blocking Dan or Mark from sitting there unless someone moved. I had a really fun evening talking with everyone, especially Suzy and later, Ryan. He was hilarious and I enjoyed his humor quite a bit. Mark got up and left the group several times, but always came back over looking to see if I was still having a good time. Dan left and came back as well. I could tell they were both keeping an eye on me. It was sweet, but since I was around people I knew already, I was okay. Several people I didn't know came over and talked to us throughout the night and the alcohol flowed freely. I will admit I got a little drunk on mojitos. but I wasn't that far gone. Just enough to be able to talk to people more easily and sing karaoke when it came out later in the night. The Grumps all wanted me to sing again, and were asking me to sing with an accent for the crowd, but I wasn't that drunk. I did finally agree to sing, belting out a rendition of "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner and a little while later "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. I didn't even have my eyes open to see the lyrics for either song, but I knew them so well, I didn't need to see the screen. Eventually, the party wound down, and everyone started leaving. I was surprise to realize I had actually had a lot of fun, and met some new people after I loosened up a little. MatPat was a nice guy. Jordan Maron, or CaptainSparklez, was really funny and I hoped to talk to him again too. When Mark found me and told me he was ready to leave, I groaned, making Suzy laugh, and I wished everyone a good night. I grabbed my purse and followed Mark to his car, getting in carefully, and he drove me home. I smiled and chatted with him about some of the people at the party, and when we pulled up to Sandy's apartment, I leaned over and gave Mark a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Mark. See you soon." Then I hopped out and headed inside, all before Mark could respond. As I closed the front door I saw him wave goodbye and pull away. I turned and was met by Sandy, bursting with questions. I talked to her for a little while, but had to beg off to go to bed, since I still had two double shifts this weekend to work. She frowned as she let me go, making me promise to talk more soon. Then she growled in frustration as she remembered she was flying out to Dallas on Monday. I got ready for bed as fast as I could and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, barely remembering to set my alarm for the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I need some opinions people! Should this be a 
> 
> 1) Dan X Reader X Mark
> 
> 2) Dan X Reader with Mark as a really close friend for the reader, with a little jealousy for the relationship with Dan
> 
> 3) Dan X Reader with a Mark X Reader later
> 
> 4) Mark X Reader with a Dan X reader later
> 
> 5) Mark x Reader
> 
> OR 6) Reader X someone else? (Tell me who! I would also be willing to make a Dan X Reader X other person [maybe Ryan? Or Matt?} just tell me what you want to see!)
> 
> I will say, this was orginally going to hardly have Mark at all. The story has already started to run away from me.


	9. She Works Hard For The Money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally finish working at the diner and have a day off. And it's payday! What are you going to do?

After another incredibly long weekend at the diner and a long week at the Grump space, I was ready for a nice quiet weekend. All I had to do today to get it, was go to the diner, turn in my apron, pick up my last paycheck, and go to the Grump office and get my check from there too. I couldn't believe I was finally free! And since it was a Friday, I even had a day I could look for an apartment, if I could muster up the energy and didn't get called in to work at the last minute, like last week. Dan and Mark had both made it clear all week this week that they were very interested in seeing me outside of work. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle the fact that they both were as interested as they clearly were, so I had so far just opted not to do anything about it, other than tease them both a little and flirt. Arin and Suzy knew and were clearly amused, egging all three of us on, although mostly they just encouraged me to tease and flirt and saved any taunts they had for the guys. Mark was finding all sorts of reasons to stop by the Grump Space, even just small, clearly fake things, like he thought he had left a lunch in the fridge at the office and wanted to come in and check. Matt and Ryan had started taunting him every time he came in now, asking what lame excuse he was going to try this time, and when he was going to man up and actually ask me on a date. I knew this because I had been working with them on Wednesday when it happened. I had surprised them both with sudden, sharp elbows to the gut, making Brian and Barry laugh. Matt grumbled for a while, periodically rubbing his stomach all afternoon, the big baby. Ryan hadn't said anything, other than shutting up about Mark and groaning for a few minutes about sharp elbows. 

Friday morning, when I finally woke up, I was startled to see it was nearly ten. I had shut my phone and alarm clock off the previous night, hoping to sleep a little late, but not this long. I jumped out of bed, headed for the kitchen and started making a pot of tea. While I waited for the water to heat up in the tea kettle, I grabbed clean clothes and took a speedy shower. When I got out and got dressed, I made my tea and checked my phone for missed messages. Three missed calls, one from my Mom, just checking in on me, one from Sandy, telling me I better be taking a break this weekend, and one from Dan, asking me if I wanted to do something fun this weekend, as a date, since I had asked him to wait for me to be done working at the diner. I smiled softly to myself and checked my email next. I had quite a few, but I got through them all and was just about to put my phone away when I got a text from Mark, asking me why I wasn't at work. I grinned as I replied. *Well, Mark, I have the day off today. Why? Were you looking for me?*

I chuckled to myself quietly as I gathered my bag and keys, getting ready to head out the door. My phone pinged with a response. *Uh, no reason. Just curious. I didn't see you or your car at the Grump office, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. That's all.* I smiled as I plugged my phone into the dashboard charger I had. I turned on the text to speech reader and started the car, driving to the diner. A few minutes after I pulled out of my spot, Mark texted me again. *So, what are you up to today? Any big plans?*

I grinned when I heard the message. When I pulled into the diner ten minutes later, I decided to call Mark. When I looked at my phone more closely, I was surprised to see it was already eleven. I shook my head and dialed Mark's number. He picked up immediately. "Hey [y/n]! How are you today?"

"Hi, Mark. I'm doing fine. How are you?"

"Well, I'm fine. I just wondered..." He paused and took a deep breath. "Uh, I wanted to know if..." Pause. "Ifyouwouldwanttogoonadatewithmethisweekend?" I blinked and tried to understand what he had just said.

"Mark? What did you just say? I couldn't understand any of the last part. Slow down and say it again please."

Mark groaned. "Uh, I asked if you would, uh, want to go on a date, maybe, this weekend? If you don't have other plans and aren't too busy?"

I blinked. "Mark, I... Well, I'd love to go out with you, but I promised I'd go on a date with Danny this weekend. I mean, he asked me out before we even went to that party last weekend, and I agreed. Um, I really like you too though."

Mark groaned, then sighed. "Well, I had to ask." He paused for a minute. "Wait, did you say you weren't going to see anyone else? I mean, this is just a first date, right? Why can't you go out with both of us? I'd rather have the opportunity to get to know you better and have a shot with you, even sharing you with Dan, than miss out. Please?" 

"I'll think about it. I mean, I have no idea how Danny would feel about that either."

I could almost hear the grin in his voice. "As long as you will think about it. And does this mean you actually have a weekend to yourself? Amazing. So what are you doing right now?"

"I'm turning in my apron at the diner and picking up my last paycheck from here. I'm also going to get some lunch." I heard a noise and turned around. Standing in the doorway of the diner was Mark, Dan, Arin and Suzy. They waved and I hung up the phone, walking over to join them. "Guys! What are you doing here?"

Dan grinned and pulled me into a hug as soon as I was close enough. "We were all hungry and decided to get out of the office for a little while. Mark here had never been to the diner before. We figured we could bring him to show him around and get him one of the milkshakes. He had stepped away from the table a few minutes ago, but Arin followed him and was just waving us over when I spotted you. So, what are you doing here? Do you have to work here today? I thought you were done."

I smiled. "I am. I'm officially turning in my apron and collecting my last paycheck from here today. I was also going to grab some lunch before I stopped by the Grump space to get my first paycheck from there. Then I'm going apartment hunting. I'm tired of living out of my friend's spare room, even if she's not there much, and when she and her fiancee get back in a few weeks, I want to be set up in my own place. Besides, I think I have enough saved from working here in California to get something nice, without even having to touch my savings fund from home." I laughed a little. "I have been working enough hours, I feel like I better."

Arin and Suzy chuckled. Dan and Mark just nodded. Dan spoke up after a few seconds. "Actually, I might know of an apartment complex that has an opening. I heard one of my former neighbors saying she was moving out, and the apartment might be available. Rent's pretty cheap, which is why I stay there, and it's close by for work. Do you want me to call the building manager to see if it's open and you can get a tour?"

Mark crossed his arms and made a face. "No fair! I was going to tell her about an open apartment near me! It's in the same complex I'm in, but a different section. It would be a little farther from the grump space, but I'm closer to other things. Do you want me to check about it for you?"

Arin and Suzy were grinning at me behind the guys backs. I bit my cheek, trying not to laugh at the two men who were currently acting like two overeager puppies. "Sure. Both of you go ahead and make the calls. It won't hurt me to check out several places, and I have a few other leads as well. Now, if you will excuse me for a minute, I need to go hand this in and get my check. I'll be right back." Suzy winked at me as I walked past and mouthed 'Smooth'. I hoped she was being sincere. I was slightly amused to see both Dan and Mark grab their cell phones and step outside to go make calls. I was still smiling when I stepped into Stephen's office. He looked up at me, slightly confused.

"Uh, you aren't on the schedule for today [y/n]. What's up?"

I handed him my apron. "I'm officially done, remember? I need to pick up my last check."

Stephen nodded "Right. Sorry. It's been crazy this week. Actually, this isn't your last check. You get one more, for the last two weeks. We always hold back two weeks at the beginning, remember?" I shook my head. Stephen smiled. "Well, we do, so here is your second to last check. And we are giving you a bonus for all the extra work you put in the last few weeks. You really helped us through a rough patch and made sure you didn't leave us in the lurch. I also know you have been responsible for several new business clients and offices ordering from us., so it's the least I felt like we could do. And please, don't be a stranger. You still have lots of meal points to use and friends here to see."

I laughed. "Oh, believe me, I'll be back. I just need to concentrate on my other full time job, my animations, and house hunting. And seriously, if you guys get to slammed on a weekend, give me a call. I might be able to help, but I can't promise anything. I do have to say if I just come in and cover shifts like that though, I don't want to have to wait two weeks for payroll though, so we'll have to figure that out if and when it comes up. And thanks for taking a chance on me in the first place. I know I didn't have any wait staff experience and you were taking a chance that I would be lousy. I really do appreciate it. It helped me get through until I could find my dream job." I smiled again at Stephen. "Well, it's been an eye-opening experience working here anyway, but now I have to go. Some of my new friends are waiting for me to order food and I have a busy afternoon planned, including opening a bank account. I have checks to deposit so I can put down a rent payment. See you around Stephen."

"Bye, [Y/n]."

I walked back out to the table Arin and Suzy were sitting at and drew over another chair. Dan and Mark were still outside on their phones. Arin grinned at me. "So, you're officially free from here? Fucking fabulous! Now you can just concentrate on the work you do for the Grumps."

I laughed. "You probably don't want that right away."

Arin looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why might that be?"

I waited until I could compose my face then told him. "Well, you know how much I've been doing at work already." Arin and Suzy nodded, looking at each other for a few seconds then back at me. "And you've heard me say how much I've been working here. And you know I've gotten five new animations out in the last week and a half. And I'm looking for an apartment. And I'm helping my friend deal with a crisis." I paused for dramatic effect, letting all that sink in. "Now imagine what would happen if I actually stopped splitting my focus on so many different things and just focused on say two or three."

Suzy's eyes got wide as she took in my meaning. She giggled suddenly and turned to me. "Oh, please tell me your dating life is going to be one of the three things!"

I giggled too. "Okay, four. Actually, that seems to be taking care of itself right now. I'm not focusing on it. I meant work for the Grumps, my game, and my animation stuff." I grinned suddenly. "My friend has pretty much gotten through the worst of her crisis, and I have a funny feeling I'm going to have an apartment by the end of the weekend. I already had two prospects to check out today, but Mark and Dan were so insistent, and they looked like big puppies, so how could I tell them no?"

Arin laughed. "Oh god, don't let them hear you say that! Who knows what would happen." He face got serious for a minute. "But seriously, don't hurt either of our friends. Dan's like a brother to me, and I will end you if you hurt him. Mark's a good guy too. Don't string them along."

I held out my a hand, defensively. "I'm not, I swear! I have agreed to one date with Danny. And I think Mark is trying to work up to asking me out on a proper date. Actually, I know he is. He asked me earlier and I told him I was going out with Dan, but he made me promise not to just write him off before I even went on the date and to at least go on one date with him as well." I looked down. "I really like both of them, and don't want to lead either of them on. I just don't know how I feel yet."

Suddenly, two sets of arms wrapped around me, making me squeak. Dan and Mark had both walked back over and heard the end of the conversation and were hugging me now, one on either side. I blushed crimson. Mark let me go first and pulled his chair over close to me, grabbing one of my hands. "Babe, we weren't trying to put you in a bad position like this. Dan and I just both really like you. We were talking about this in the parking lot for a minute. Listen, we are both okay with you dating both of us until things are a little more settled and you feel like you can chose. Or until something else happens that we can't foresee."

Danny had also let me go from the hug and dragged his chair over next to me. As soon as he was settled in it, he reached over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Absolutely. We didn't mean to pressure you. God, you are handling so much at once, I wonder how you don't just collapse under all the pressure sometimes. That's why I call and check on you, or go look for you. Well, that and you make me happy whenever you are nearby. And listen, I still want to be your friend, even if we don't work out as a forever kind of deal, okay?"

"Thanks guys. I really do appreciate it. And if both of you are okay with it, I definitely want to see where these relationships are going. Like I said, I really like both of you, a lot. And I want to stay friends too, even if things don't work out romantically."

Mark nodded as well. "Hey, me too. Now, I got an appointment for you at my apartment complex at four. Does that work for you?"

I took out my phone. "Yeah, four's okay. Thanks Mark."

Dan grinned. "How about five thirty? My apartment manager works another job, but he said he can show you around then if you want and move in is immediate."

I laughed. "Alright. Now, I really need to get some food. I'm going to have a hell of a busy afternoon!" Four sets of eyes looked at me quizzically. "I have a check to pick up from the Grump offices, a bank account to open, four checks to deposit, four apartments to check out, and then dinner to figure out and an animation to finish before I go to bed. Oh, and I need to look at furniture if I can manage to get an apartment." Suzy and Arin shook their heads, grinning. Mark just stared at me. 

Dan hugged my shoulder tighter. "Hmm. I can help with a couple of those. How about I tour the apartment with you and we go out to eat afterward? And the apartment in my building is partially furnished, so that's a little less you would need to shop for."

I smiled into Dan's face for a minute. "Sounds like a date. I'm in." Dan looked stunned for a few seconds then smiled hugely and leaned over, surprising me with a kiss. I kissed back a few seconds later. Mark made a grumpy noise after a moment, so when Dan and I separated, I looked down, trying to get my suddenly rapid pulse back under control. When I looked back up, I smiled at Dan. He looked just as stunned as I felt. Then I glanced over at Mark, who was grinning at us, but when he caught my eye made an exaggerated pouty face. I turned to him to say something, but as soon as I opened my mouth, he reached over and pulled me in for a kiss as well. When he let me go a minute later, my head was swimming. I had to put it down on the table and just try to collect my scattered thoughts. Dan and Mark were now both oddly quiet. In fact the only noises I heard were chuckles from Suzy and Arin and a cheer from the kitchen. I lifted my head just in time to see Lucy and Jake peeking through the door. I gently thumped my head on the table twice. Dan and Mark both grabbed the sides of my head to prevent me from doing it again as Suzy's and Arin's laughs got louder. Finally, I lifted my head up. "I'm glad I'm such a source of entertainment. Guys, you can let go of my head now, I promise not to thump it on the table anymore, as long as you two can keep your lips to yourselves." They both blushed and let me go. I sat back up just as Lucy came over to get our food orders. She was grinning like a madwoman.

"Whoa, sweetie, we had no idea! You go girl!" I glared at her slightly, then smirked. She looked a little nervous suddenly at my expression. "Uh, sorry. Anyway, what can I get all of you to eat?"

Arin ordered the special, Suzy got a turkey burger and house chips, Mark got a plate of meatloaf, and Dan ordered a burger and chili cheese fries. I grinned at Lucy. "I want a double spicy cheeseburger, extra pickles, no onions, just mayo, mustard, and hots, and order of hot chili cheese fries, and some of the Italian macaroni salad. And a banana cookies and creme shake." Lucy winced and nodded, promising to tell Jake which plate was mine. Everyone else ordered shakes as well. 

Dan grinned at me. "Man, I'm glad I stole that kiss before you ate. I like having working taste buds, but wow what a way to go that would be..."

I blushed and ducked my head. Mark looked at me curiously. "I know you asked for spicy, but how hot are they really going to male it? I mean, honestly. It's not like they make it specially for you."

I laughed again. "Yes, they do Mark. Oh my god, you didn't hear the warning I gave everyone else at the party. You walked up afterwards. Okay. Here it is. I am a huge chili head. I eat very spicy food, all the time. Here at the diner, I provided a special hot sauce to them to use for my food, because the stuff they had was too bland. If you value not having flamed out experiences, don't steal my food without checking with me. I accidentally hospitalized someone who I thought of as a friend because she ate my food while I wasn't there and had a ulcer bleed. She blamed me and wouldn't speak to me again after that." I shook my head. "Oh, and just in case any of you think I just eat hot chilies, I also like all kinds of spice, like wasabi, ginger, and horseradish. Cooking is something I enjoy, and I can make mild dishes and just season on my plate, but when I just cook for myself I season the whole dish so I can be lazy later when I reheat the leftovers. After I get settled, I'll have to have a get together and invite everyone over and cook a not spicy meal. Just let me know about any food allergies or dietary issues you all have."

Conversation drifted t the last time the Grumps had a party. Apparently, Grump parties were well known in the LA YouTube community as being awesome and fun. I was looking forward to the next one, when Arin grinned at me and reminded me that they would be having a welcome party for me in the next few weeks. As of the end of the next week, I would have been working as a Grump for four full weeks, which technically meant today was the one month anniversary of my signing the paperwork and yesterday was a month since my interview. It startled me to realize this. In just under a months time I had made a whole new group of friends, and completely changed my life once again. I was lost in thought and the conversation moved on around me, talking about who they might invite, what to plan, and where to hold it, if not at the grump space. No one seemed to notice how quiet I was until the food arrived and I visibly twitched when Lucy set my plate down in front of me. As soon as I jerked back to reality, I smiled at Lucy and thanked her quietly. Everyone else smiled at her and thanked her as well, then turned to look at me. Suzy voiced what they were all apparently thinking. "So, where did you go? You seemed to be about a million miles away mentally when the food came. We didn't even realize we had lost you."

I blushed. "I was just thinking about how crazy the last two months have been for me. Moving to California, not having the job I was promised, rooming with a friend, getting a job here at the diner, overworking, meeting Dan, getting hired as a Grump and meeting Mark, working eighty to ninety hour weeks for three full weeks, helping my friend deal with her fiancee nearly dying, and all the other smaller stuff, like making a whole bunch of new friends even though I'm so shy. Life's been moving a little fast lately. I'm hoping it might slow down a little once I am just working the one job and have moved into my own place. Then I can focus a little better. I've been feeling a little overstretched and stressed. I swear my plan for tomorrow is either to move and sleep, look at apartments and sleep, or just sleep and laze about. I need a down day or two. My personal batteries are a bit drained." I chuckled to myself. "Fortunately, I packed light for the move to California, only bringing what fit in my car, so I can be moved out of my friends apartment in about two hours time. I never even unpacked most of my stuff. Although, I have bought a few things, so I might have to make two trips now. Once I'm moved, though, I plan to veg and shop online for the rest of what I need and can afford. I'm really cheap though, so I may just end up buying second hand if I can't find what I want for a decent price and can muster the energy to go out. We'll have to see if any of the apartment are even what I want and in my price bracket. I have a pretty big cushion right now, and another check here I had forgotten about in two weeks, but I don't want to overextend myself. I want to keep my savings account intact if I can. I get a really good interest rate right now, and I can just change my address to out here once I'm settled. It's my security blanket in case something catastrophic happened."

Arin chuckled. "Smart. Planning ahead and saving is always a good move when you can. Life can change pretty fast. Although it sounds like yours already has been and you still kept ahead of it. No wonder your mind wandered off like that." He shook his head at me. "I really hope you do get the apartment you want and catch up on some sleep. Even with as crazy as things have been for you, you are a great worker and get a lot done everyday. I still can't believe you tamed all that computer mess this fast and have been training with the editors for a week already. They told me you could probably edit on your own any time now. Have you managed to watch more than three episodes of Game Grumps yet?"

I blushed and shook my head. "Uh, no. I haven't quite managed to find the time yet."

Arin laughed. "Well, then that's going to be your job next week. We want you to film with us one day on Steam Train and the rest of the week is probably just going to be watching as many channel videos as you can." He laughed. "Such a tough job, I know. But we need you familiar with the channel for when you do edit some of the videos and so you can make animations. Oh and write down any ideas for animations you come up with while you are watching, so we can check and make sure that's not an episode someone else hasn't already claimed." I nodded and we all dug into our meals. I was starved so I ate quickly, finishing my food first. I drank my shake as everyone else ate, and just as I finished up, waving Lucy over, Arin announced it was his treat today. I grinned and started to argue, but he held up a hand to silence me. "Nope. I've been overworking you and I know it. Now, scamper off and go look for a better living situation, get your banking taken care of, and get your paycheck. Brent can get it for you. See you Monday!" I smiled and said my goodbyes, promising to see Mark soon and see Danny at five thirty to look at the apartment with him and then go to dinner. Then I headed out, running all my errands at full speed, finishing just in time to have a brand new check book, bank card, and credit card in hand when I looked at the first apartment. I was underwhelmed to say the least. It was a dive and the pictures had grossly misrepresented it. I kept a neutral expression, thanked the building manager and told him I would be in touch if I decided to go with this apartment. He gave me a measuring look and told me he 'might' be able to lower the price a bit if I agreed to sweeten the deal on my end. I frozen in place for a few seconds, handed the card with the contact information he had just given me back to him, and ran out to my car, locking all the doors immediately and trying to keep from either throwing up or crying. It took me twenty minutes to calm down enough to head to the next apartment I was to look at. I was still early by more than half and hour, so I called Mark.

He picked up on the first ring. "Hey babe, what's up?"

"Mark? Are you anywhere near [current location]?"

"Uh, yeah, about ten minutes away. Why? What's wrong? You sound really upset."

"Can you please meet me here? The last apartment manager hit on me and weirded me out so bad it took me over twenty minutes to drive five miles with basically no traffic. I'm scared to look at any more apartments alone, unless I know the building manager is a woman."

"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes. Hang tight."

"Thanks Mark." I hung up and tried to calm down a little more. I was still barely keeping it together when he pulled up seven minutes later. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he tapped on my window. I opened the door to get out, but he took one look at me and hugged me tight before he would let me move. I cried a little into his shoulder. After a minute I had collected myself and calmed back down to normal. "Sorry to freak out like that. He was just so creepy and he kept leering at me as he showed me around. Then he told me he might be able to lower the price of the apartment if I sweetened the deal. I thought I was going to throw up right then and there. Instead I froze, then ran like a scared deer in the headlights of a car. I've been sitting here shaking ever since."

Mark lifted my chin, wiping away tears with a tissue and his thumb. "Babe, I'm just glad you called. You sounded terrified. Danny's really worried too. I was still at the Grump Space, killing time, when you called. Let me just text him back that you're okay. Then we can go look at this apartment together, okay? If you need me to, I can act as a buffer between you and the manager, or whoever is showing you around." He was silent a minute as he sent the text, then grinned. "All done. Now, let's go. Oh, and be prepared for Dan to ask you why you called me first and not him."

I smiled slightly. "Well, if I'm honest, because you were the last number I dialed before this. If I want to be a little coy, I could say it was your turn to rescue me, since he did at the party." Mark chuckled and helped me out of the car, wrapping an arm around my waist as we went into the building. The building manager here was all business and the apartment was nice, clean, fully furnished and was ready for immediate move in. I smiled at the manager and told him I would be in contact either this evening or tomorrow one way or the other. He nodded and Mark and I left. I sagged with relief. "Oh god. He was so sweet. I'm sorry to drag you out for nothing Mark."

Mark grinned and hugged me as I climbed back in my car. "Babe, relax. It wasn't for nothing. Actually, this is a pretty nice place. If nothing else works out, definitely consider it. It's close to work for you too. Actually, if they take pets, I'd consider moving here."

I grinned. "Oh, it says they do. But I thought you liked your apartment?"

"Eh. It's okay, but nothing spectacular. Mostly it's empty because I haven't bothered to buy things or unpack what I have. This would be better. Hang on, I'm going to go see if there are any other apartments open, especially ones a little bit bigger. I like having guest rooms, and I need a recording space." I smiled and nodded, getting situated in my car. I closed my eyes for a minute and turned my music on low, just unwinding. Before I knew it Mark was back, grinning. "Well, do you want to even go look at the apartment by where I live now? I mean, they had a three and a four bedroom layout here with vacancies and I think I might be moving here soon. Practically everyone I know already lives over in this part of LA anyway."

I smiled at him. "Honesty? I'd rather skip it and just go back to Sandy's and pack. Then if I can get back out to either here or sign on the apartment close to Dan, I can get all moved this weekend, which will be a big stress reliever for me."

Mark grinned and nodded. "Do you want any help packing?"

I smiled back at him. "Nah. There isn't that much to do. Besides, I want to prep for date night with Danny. Just like I will want to prep for date night with you when we decide on one." I winked at him. "See you soon Mark. Bye!" I rolled up my windows and drove off, heading for Sandy's apartment. As soon as I got there, I called Dan. He sounded worried when he answered, so I tried to put him at ease. "Hey Dan, sorry for that mess earlier. I just wanted to call and touch base with you about tonight. Would you mind picking me up at my friends apartment? That way I can load my car to move the first load of stuff as soon as I decide on a place. I found one I liked already with an immediate move in and fully furnished, so all I have to do is sign and haul my crap over there if I decide to take it."

"Well, that's good. And yes, I can come get you. Text me the address please."

"Thanks Danny. Also, this will feel more like a proper date this way after we look at the apartment." I texted him the address as soon as we both hung up and proceeded to load my car. When it was full, but not stuffed to the ceiling I stopped and piled the rest of my stuff, except a small suitcase of clothes I could live out of until I was moved and my computer stuff, by the front door, neatly. Then I hopped in the shower and borrowed an outfit from Sandy's closet in the guest room. I knew she wouldn't mind, since these were the clothes she didn't wear, for one reason or another, and I wanted to look extra nice tonight. I found a dark green dress, with a deep scooped back that looked good on me and added a sweater of my own, making it perfectly reasonable to wear during the day. I could always take the sweater off for our date. Next I did my hair in a braided bun, again, casual enough for everyday wear, but still subtly sexy. Finally, I added some smoky grey eyeshadow and some raspberry tinted lip gloss. I tossed on some silver sandals and was ready to go, just as Dan pulled up. I grinned and went out to meet him at the car. 

The apartment was beautiful. The building manager was a sweet older man, who repeatedly told me I reminded him of his daughter back east, which I took as a compliment. I was enchanted with the view, which Danny complained was better than the one from his apartment. The manager agreed and winked at me, saying it paid to be a pretty, sweet, young lady. I blushed and grinned, clearly the reaction he was hoping for. I immediately asked the price and when I could move in. I was relieved to hear him tell me both answers. The price was perfect. Move in was as soon as I could get him a check and two work references or a current tenant in good standing who could vouch for me. I grinned at Danny and told the manager he could provide both and I could either get him a starter check right now, or swipe my credit card and pay the full first, last, and deposit. He blinked. "Welcome to the building sweetie! Let's go sign the papers." Twenty minutes later, a quick call to Arin (and Brent), and my bank, and I had the keys to my new apartment in my hand. I grinned and hugged Danny, excited and happy. Danny reached over and kissed me while I had him in the hug and I kissed him back, unabashedly. We both were a little out of breath when we separated, but grinning like we were demented. I ran up the stairs to my new apartment and opened the door, dropping my purse and hanging up the sweater. Danny's eyes bulged at the sudden difference in my appearance.

"Damn woman. You went from sexy librarian to hot as hell in less than five seconds. WOW." I smiled and walked playfully over. He swallowed several times before he grabbed me for another kiss. After this kiss we both melted into the door, weak in the knees. "You are amazing. You know that right?" 

I leaned into his side. "Thanks for helping me get this place Danny. I love it already. I'm going to move everything in tonight and just sleep on my air mattress until I can go buy all of the furniture I want tomorrow. Thank god I've been saving up and I had such a big cushion. Oooh, this is going to be fun!" I was practically squealing with delight now. Suddenly, I reached into my sweater pocket, pulled out a business card and called the number on it. It was for the other apartment I liked earlier. "Yes, hi. This is [Y/N]. The woman who was in this afternoon and looked at the apartment? Yes, that's me. I found another place, so I wanted to let you know as soon as I could so you could show it..." "Oh, of course." "DID he? Well, well. Oh, yes, I'm sure you will see me around then. Bye!" I laughed as I hung up the phone. Dan raised an eyebrow. "Mark got an apartment at the complex he was looking at with me this afternoon. He liked it better than his current, or should I say old apartment. He's moving in as we speak."

Dan laughed. "Well, then my dear, let's go on our date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the overall consensus is clear for a Dan X Reader X Mark! So now I'm trying to decide whether Mark and Dan are going to be involved with each other, either now or in the future, or if it will just be that they have to share the lovely reader. Also, anyone have any ideas for dates they could go on? Should jealousy come into play? And should the story start as a poly romance or just that the reader is going on dates with both men separately at first? Opinions and comments are welcome.
> 
> One more note. Sorry for the complete lack of update for the last week or so. I started a new medical treatment and I have never been this sick in my life. I spent three days solid just throwing up and I haven't eaten anything in five. I was hooked up to an IV to keep my fluids up and was being given pain and anti-nausea medications around the clock, but the treatment is brutal. It did seem to help though, indicating I have some form of autoimmune disease, and I will need to have these treatments once a month for a while and physical therapy, but I might regain some of the use of my legs. Also, the doctors have gotten a mix of medicines that should make the future treatments less severe (plus they will be stretching the dose out over a longer time), so hopefully, I won't just vanish for a week or more at a time again.


	10. Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is going well...

Danny and I had a great time on our date, going out to dinner at a restaurant I had never been to before and dancing until way too late after. I smiled and kissed his cheek as we got back in the car after dancing, too tired to do anything else. We talked quietly in the car as he drove me back to Sandy's apartment, where I gave him a hell of a goodnight kiss and promised to see him again very soon. Then I headed in and flopped down on the bed, falling asleep before I could even change clothes. My dreams that night were filled with Dan, dancing with me, holding my hand, spending time with me, and going on dates. I woke up fairly early, around seven, surprising myself. I got up and showered, and chose clothes for moving stuff in, opting for well worn in jeans and a Zelda tee shirt. Then I grabbed sock and shoes, pulled my hair back in a ponytail, and ate some breakfast as fast as I could, immediately heading down to my car and moving the first load of stuff in to my new apartment. I unloaded as fast as I could and headed back to Sandy's for the rest of my things. After I loaded the car back up, I paused long enough to call her to see how she was doing and let her know I was all moved out. I gave her my new address, promising to visit her again as soon as she got back and I had time. She made me promise to hold on to her spare key until she got back. Then I locked up and headed to my new apartment, stopping to finish filling my car with groceries on the way so I would have some food when I finished unloading. I was all done moving my things by ten thirty and completely unpacked by noon. My apartment still looked way too empty though, so I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, impulsively deciding to go out for lunch and buy the rest of my furniture I needed. I headed out, finding a cool little Chinese food place not far away, where I had a most excellent lunch, and then found a used furniture store that delivered. I found a really nice bed, two couches, some arm chairs and bookshelves I loved, so I bought them all, as well as nightstands and two extra dressers. I gave them my address and they promised to deliver everything in two hours. I smiled happily, pulled out my phone, and started playing music as I drove to the next store, buying bedding, small kitchen appliances, lights, a large wall-mounted TV, new bathroom stuff, and assorted other odds and ends that I needed. Before long, my cart was full, my car was loaded, and my bank account was a lot less flush then it had been, but I was finished. I drove home, arriving half an hour before the furniture was to be delivered, so I unloaded the car and figured out where everything was going to go. I finished all that up just as the furniture movers arrived. They set everything up for me, even helping me wall-mount my new TV on the brackets I had already installed, before heading out with my thanks and a good tip. I sighed happily as I settled into one of my new couches, admiring the room. It looked cozy, warm, and friendly now, not all bare and waiting to be filled. I only had to set up my gaming consoles still then I would be done for the day. I got to work, but just as I was untangling the cords, someone knocked on the door. I stood up to go answer it, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand, wondering who it was. I carried the cords with me, untangling as I went. When I opened the door, I grinned. Arin and Suzy were there, along with Barry, Ross, Holly, Matt, Ryan, and Danny. "Hi guys! I wasn't expecting any company yet. Sorry if I'm a mess. Come on in."

Suzy grinned as I stepped aside. "You look fine. We just came by to help you get all unpacked and to see the newest Grumps apartment. Danny was talking to Arin about it this morning when he came over to talk about how the date went last night." Her eyes got huge as she stepped into the room. So did everyone else's as they came in as well, even Danny. "What the hell? How did you even...?"

I laughed. "I had some free time. I'm all moved in already, I was just hooking up my consoles. Then I was going to go take a shower and watch some TV. You're all welcome to stay for a while. I can show you around, maybe cook some dinner. What sounds good to everyone?"

Arin turned to me, an interesting look on his face, one of something like awe, wonder, fear, and panic all mixed together. "How the fuck did you manage this exactly? You said you needed to buy furniture and you only had one, maybe two carloads of things that you brought from home. This is a lot more than that."

I laughed. "I told you, I had free time. I went shopping this morning, after I moved the carload and a half I brought with me. The used furniture place delivered, and while they were arranging that, I bought the other things I needed. I bought groceries this morning on one of my two trips over. I don't have any plates, bowls, glasses, or flatware yet, but I do have paper and plastic stuff to use until I can buy what I want. Give me five minutes and I'll have all these consoles sorted too." I had finally finished untangling the cords and had stepped back over to the TV and HDMI switch I had bought. I plugged everything in, double checked it was all working, and was done. I looked up and smiled at everyone who was now getting comfortable on my new furniture. "Done. Now, if you want to see the rest of the apartment, I'll show you, if you think you can find your way back here afterwards. I'm going to end the tour by gathering my stuff and locking myself in the bathroom for a quick shower, so follow me if you want to see the rest of my setup. I'm sure it will change as soon as I can call my Mom to ship my books, DVD's, and some other stuff from storage, but here's how it looks for now." I lead them around, showing them the kitchen, the front bathroom, my guestroom, my office, and ended in the master suite, where my new bed was setup and neatly made just a little while ago. I stepped over to the dresser and pulled out clean clothes before stepping into the second bathroom and locking the door. I set my clothes down, grabbed my soap for the shower and a towel for after, and took a ten minute shower, then hopped out and dried off, getting dressed as fast as I could. I left my hair down, since it was still wet, and stepped back out to join everyone. I smiled when I came back out. "Thanks for being patient. I feel a lot more human now. So did you all decide what you want for dinner?"

Everyone protested that they had come over to work, not to have me cook, but I held up a hand, insisting if they didn't tell me what they wanted, I'd just cook whatever I wanted and they would be stuck with it. Matt grinned at me. "I'm not picky. Free food is always appreciated."

I laughed. Then I had an idea. "Hey, since all of you are willing to work, let me make a phone call. Mark is moving too, maybe he could use the help. I'll cook and meet everyone over at his new apartment if he can use the assistance, if not, I'll invite him over and we can all hang out here. Does that sound okay to everyone?"

Suzy looked at me for a long minute. "How are you the only one who knows Mark is moving? And for that matter, how do you even know he is moving?"

I chuckled. "Oh, I know many things. Like I know where his apartment is, the new one, already, at least the complex, if not the apartment number. And he didn't tell me either."

Arin raised his head to look at me for a minute. "Okay, now you're just messing with us, right?" 

I smirked and shook my head, holding up a finger for quiet. Then I called Mark, putting it on speaker phone. Mark picked up with a grunt. "Hello?"

"Hey Mark. How's the moving going?"

"[Y/N]? How did you know I was moving?" I giggled silently as everyone on this end of the call stared at me. Apparently Danny had forgotten how I knew Mark was moving because he was just as stunned looking as everyone else. "I'm psychic. Now, do you need any assistance? I have some people here who might just be willing to help you. They actually came to help me unpack, but I'm already done."

"Wait, did you already find a new apartment?"

I laughed again. "Yes, Mark, I did. Try to keep up. I signed the lease last night and moved in this morning. And went grocery shopping. Then I went out for lunch and bought all the furniture and household goods I needed. After that, I hooked up all my consoles. Now, I'm sitting here with the rest of the Grumps, who got here about fifteen minutes ago. I took a fast shower and now I have been trying to find out what they want to eat and I had the idea to call you and see if you needed any help moving, since they were all already to work on moving stuff. So do you need help or not?"

"Uh, wait you did all that TODAY?"

"Yes, Mark."

"TODAY?" 

"Yes. Today. The day that this is."

"But... How...?"

I laughed again, merrily. "I'm no slouch. Now, I'll ask one more time, then I'm hanging up this phone. DO. YOU. WANT. ANY. HELP. MOVING?"

Arin and Danny started laughing softly. Mark heard them. "Is that Arin and Danny? And yes, I could use some help. Any help. All of the help."

Arin piped up. "Then you'll have to tell us where you live. Unless you just want us to ask [Y/N]. She can probably tell us."

I cackled evilly. "I can tell them the complex, but not the apartment number. You just moved in to the [Apartment Complex Name]. I don't know what apartment number or building though." Everyone looked at me mystified.

Mark's voice squeaked when he answered that. "How the hell do you know that?!? I just signed the lease yesterday!"

I smiled at everyone here. "Anyway, I'm going to make dinner. Do you have any requests? And you'll still have to tell everyone what apartment number."

"You're going to cook too? Wow. Uh, anything you make will be fine, I'm sure."

I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you all just tell me what the hell you want to eat?! Is that so hard to tell me?"

Suzy laughed. "You can really just make anything. We aren't picky." 

I blew out a huge sigh. "Fine. I'll figure something out. Now, where am I bringing whatever I cook? Or am I supposed to cook over there?"

Mark chuckled. "No, cook where ever you want. If you're more comfortable there, by all means cook there. And I'm in the same building you toured, apartment 148."

I turned to the rest of the group, who nodded. Danny looked at me with sudden realization and grinned. I winked at him and nodded. He walked over and wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning close to speak directly into the phone. "We'll all be there soon Mark. Do you need us to bring anything?"

"No. Thanks for coming to help me. This is amazing. See you soon. Bye!"

"Bye Mark." I hung the phone up and turned to face Danny, smiling at him. "So you figured it out? How I knew where Mark moved?"

Danny grinned and nodded. "I think so. I had forgotten about you calling yesterday. Was that it? Our date last night kind of blanked that part of the evening out." 

My smile got brighter and I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Danny, I think." He pulled me in for a proper kiss, eliciting hoots and cheers from our fellow Grumps. I kissed him back for a long moment before I pulled back, then walked into the the kitchen, getting out pots and pans, a cutting board, some knives, and started gathering ingredients. Suzy walked in a few minutes later, smiling. I looked up. "Hey Suzy. Do you want to stay here and help me or head on with everyone else?"

Suzy laughed. "I was just about to ask if you needed any help. Everybody else already left for Mark's new place. Now, I have to ask, how did you know about Mark moving? Last I heard, he was trying to get you to move to his apartment complex on the other side of town. How did that end up with him moving over this way?"

I giggled. "It's my fault. He toured the apartment complex with me yesterday, while I was still looking, after I called because the previous experience was so bad. A really, really creepy old guy was the manager showing me around and he leered at me the whole time, then told me he thought he could lower the price if I 'sweetened' the deal. I wanted to throw up. I kind of panicked and called Mark, who toured the next place with me. He told me he liked it and I went back to my friends apartment and packed. I liked the apartment I looked at with him pretty well and it was definitely the place I would be moved into today if I hadn't seen this one with Danny last night." I sighed, looking out the window. "I called the building manager back last night to let him know I had found someplace else and he told me Mark was moving in. He liked me, and was nice, but not at all creepy. The manager of this building is a sweet old guy, who told me I reminded him of his daughter. I thought he was really nice. But that's how I knew Mark moved. The apartment manager of the other complex told me, telling me he still expected to see me around plenty since Mark was moving in." I smiled a little again. "Mark was really sweet and kept his arm around me the whole time we toured. Danny was great too. How did I get both these two interested in me? I mean, I like them both a lot, and don't want to hurt anyone." I looked down at the floor. "I have barely dated anyone, ever. Now I have two hot guys chasing me. How?"

Suzy came over and hugged me. "You deserve to have a great guy. Both of them are great. And actually, I think if Mark and Danny were a little less obvious, Ryan might be chasing after you too. You're a good person, sweet, caring, smart, and funny. You're just shy, so no one knows." She giggled a little, leaning on me. "I think you scare Arin. Did you see his face earlier? The full impact of what you said about focusing all your energy may have hit him."

I laughed. "Is that what that expression was for? What, does he think I'm going to decide to change the way Game Grumps operate or something? Or is he afraid I'll focus on him?" 

Suzy grinned. "I really don't know. Maybe? I think he just realized you weren't bluffing yesterday when you said you could focus on several things at once. I can't believe how much energy you have though. I mean, I knew it had to be a lot, since you were working two jobs at once, and only were a zombie twice in all that time, at least that we saw. Arin and I were talking about it the other day."

I smiled faintly. "Yeah, I can get by on just a little sleep, but I do better with about seven hours a night. I am looking forward to getting back to a more regular routine. I'm hoping to get more work done on my game soon and do a lot more animation."

Suzy shook her head. "Well, it's impressive. That was all I was saying. Now, what are we cooking?"

"Um, I figured we needed something that would transport well, so I thought maybe enchiladas and a salad? Or would soup go better with them?" I turned to her, a little unsure. 

She grinned. "I like salad, but whatever you think works."

I bit my cheek, thinking. "Why don't we just make both and then people can get what they want. I'll have you make the salad and grate some cheese if you don't mind. I have a food processor, so it should be pretty fast, but there will need to be a lot. I'm making a cheesy soup as well as needing cheese for the enchiladas. Does everyone like chicken?"

Suzy grinned and shrugged. "I think so. As far as I know. Except Holly, she's a vegetarian."

I nodded and pulled out a smaller glass baking dish. I started chopping, throwing ingredients into bowls and mixing things together. I got the slow cooker going and added the base for my soup, chicken stock, chicken, water, and spices. Then I added the next bunch of ingredients, turned it up to high, and let it cook for a while while I focused on the enchiladas. I finished the big pans, two of them, and popped them in the oven. Suzy watched as she chopped veggies for the salad. I gave her some other veggies to chop as well to make veggie enchiladas. When I had a filling, consisting of beans, spinach, rice, corn, mushrooms, and vegan cheese, I rolled them up, added sauce, a layer of the vegan cheese, and popped them in the oven, checking the larger pans. Everything was still baking but not yet ready. I checked the soup, which was reducing, stirred it, added some other ingredients, stirred it some more, and turned it down to medium, letting it cook and adding the lid again. I looked at Suzy, who was still chopping salad ingredients. "Does everyone like cookies?"

Suzy grinned and nodded, so I set the temperature on the second oven and started mixing cookies, chocolate mint chip, which I them dropped on the cookie sheets and started baking. Soon the kitchen smelled wonderful and the food was ready, or nearly so. We were just waiting on the last of the enchiladas to finish baking. I had all the cookies out of the oven cooling on racks, and two of the pans of enchiladas were done. I grabbed my picnic basket and started loading the food in it after I covered it. The cookies went in plastic bags. I added some plastic bowls, spoons, forks, knives, and thick paper plates. When I was done, I looked at Suzy. She grinned. "Wow. That was a lot faster than I would have expected. What do we still need to do?"

I smiled. "I need to lock the lid on the slow cooker, unplug it, and take it down to my car. And we need to wait for the last of the enchiladas to finish. Is the salad ready?" She nodded. I handed her a lid for the large bowl I had given her to make it in. "Put that on it then. And put it in the basket." The timer dinged, so I unplugged the slow cooker, locked the lid, and set it in a cardboard box to carry downstairs. Then I pulled the last pan out, setting it on the counter to cool enough to put a lid on and load in the basket with the others. "Do you need to grab anything?" Suzy shook her head. "Then I'll be ready in five minutes. The food should be cool enough to carry by then. Feel free to look around while I go brush my hair and change clothes real quick."

I headed down the hall to my new bedroom and got ready to go meet everyone. I brushed my hair out carefully, blow dried it, and left it down, a rare occurrence, deciding it looked nicer that way. I changed into a clean shirt, having gotten cookie mess on the one I was wearing while I cooked and baked, and decided on a lovely green vee neck with a silver trim. I grabbed my wallet and keys, tucking them into pockets as I shoved my feet into my silver sandals. Then I checked my appearance quickly in the mirror. Good enough. I smiled and headed out the bedroom door. I added the last pan to the picnic basket and lifted it, no small feat. Suzy was in the living room when I came out and set the basket by the front door. She turned to me with a look of surprise. "That was fast! And can I carry something?"

"Sure. You can get the slow cooker box. Just be careful, it will probably be hot. That's why it's in a box to start with. I've got this basket which has everything else." She nodded and ran into the kitchen, grabbing the box and carrying it out to the parking lot. I paused at my door just long enough to lock up, then carried the basket down, setting it next to my car while I unlocked it. I loaded it in the backseat, braced so nothing could fall. Suzy did the same with the soup and then climbed in. I drove slowly and carefully to the other apartment complex, found an empty spot, and got out, grabbing the basket. Suddenly, Ryan appeared next to us and asked if we needed any help. I had him carry in the soup box and set it in the kitchen, following him to Mark's apartment for the first time. Everyone was sprawled out looking tired now, on Mark's furniture. I smiled and held up the basket. "Food's here. Give me five minutes and we can eat."

I heard Danny laugh behind me as I headed into the kitchen. "In five minutes, we'll all still be too tired to move." 

I got the food out, carefully since it was still hot, and set everything up on the counter, including the chips and salsa I had brought, the salad dressings, and the hot sauce. I tucked the basket under the table for now, setting some of the cookies out on a plate. I tossed the salad, added spatulas to serve the enchiladas and spoons for serving the soup and salad, plugged the soup back in and stirred it, and set out the paper and plastic dishes and flatware I had brought to eat off of. I looked around one final time and saw that everything was all set and walked back out to the living room, sitting down on the couch, next to Dan, where there was room. He smiled at me, looking tired. I smiled back sweetly. Then I turned to face everyone else as well. "Food's ready whenever people are hungry. There is Chicken Enchilada soup in the slow cooker, salad, chips, salsa, hot sauce, which is fairly spicy, so watch out, and three kinds of enchiladas. One pan is chicken and cheese, one is spicier chicken, and the small one is vegan spinach and mushroom with black beans and rice. The cheese on and in that one is vegan as well. Oh, and there are chocolate mint cookies for dessert."

Mark had come into the room just as I was explaining about the food. "Wow, babe. That's amazing. And you didn't have any of that ready ahead of time?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Just the groceries to make the food. I bought them this morning. Well, except the hot sauce. That I had." I stood back up and helped Danny to his feet. "Come on. Food will pep you back up." I walked over and helped Arin up. Ross was already standing, helping Holly up. Barry and Matt were getting themselves up. I looked over at Ryan and raised an eyebrow. "Do you need help?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yes please."

I smirked and shoved Mark over towards him. "Go help your friend." Both men groaned and I giggled, catching Suzy's eye. She winked and laughed with me.

Dan leaned over to whisper to me. "That was bad. But it looks like you and Suzy had fun." 

I nodded and turned around, walking into the kitchen, trying not to feel like I was leading the troops. I walked over and opened the bag of chips and popped the seal on the jar of salsa, setting them back down and waving at the food. "Go ahead. I labeled everything. Holly, Suze mentioned you were vegetarian, but I wasn't sure how strict or if you were actually vegan, so the veggie enchiladas are vegan friendly. So is the salad and chips and salsa. These chips use sunflower and corn oil to cook in."

Holly grinned. "Wow. That was really thoughtful, thank you." I waved a hand, blushing a little. She came over closer. "No, seriously. I can't tell you how many times I have had to remind people a lot of foods have hidden things I can't eat."

I smiled, crookedly. "Oh, I know. I have some food allergies. I'm allergic to nuts. You'd be surprised how many things use peanut oil or have potential peanut contamination. It even makes buying things like vitamins a challenge sometimes." I sighed. "But I'm used to it by now. I just avoid a lot of things unless I know they are safe. And as a rule, I keep desserts or sweets on hand that I can eat, just so I can avoid something that might have nuts that looks really good."

Holly nodded, sympathetically. "I was a little afraid no one would tell you. I forgot you didn't know and mentioned to Ross he might have to go run out and get me something to eat if you did. I wouldn't have made a big deal about it, but..."

"But you can't eat what you can't eat. I get it." I smiled a little more. "Well, don't worry. I don't forget. Oh, and in case Ross didn't mention it, since you weren't at the party the other week, I like REALLY hot foods, so if I say something is hot, trust me. It's hot." I looked at everyone dipping food and saw they were avoiding the spicy chicken dish. I laughed and called over. "Wimps! The spicy chicken isn't hot. I just added some jalapeño when I was cooking, but I took all the seeds out. It shouldn't be much hotter than mild salsa." I grinned as Arin, Danny, and Mark all looked sheepish and grabbed one of the spicy ones now. I turned back to Holly who was laughing. "What?"

"You're fun. Suzy was right. We should hang out more. What are your hobbies?"

I laughed. "Besides computers, videos games, and animation? Oh, and of course, YouTube? I read a lot, listen to music, cook, garden when I can find the time, crochet, knit, and enjoy board games and trivia. I don't watch very much TV, but I have plenty else to keep me busy. And I enjoy D and D, cosplay, LARPing occasionally, and other assorted activities." I chuckled a little. "I know, I know. Giant geek, right?"

Holly smiled. "Hon, we all are. You fit right in. Actually, I love D and D. I'm a DM and am looking to add some more people to my game, if you can squeeze the time in for it. And anytime you want to Cosplay or LARP, let me know. Suzy and I do Cosplay for cons a lot of the time. We both make costumes."

I nodded. "I do too. I used to go to the Ren Faire back home, and Comic Con in Philly, Baltimore, and DC, but I've never been to the big San Diego one. I really want to go to that this year, at least for one of the days. Think I can talk Arin into giving me the time off?"

Suzy, who had walked over and caught the end of our conversation smiled. "Probably. Or you could come as the editor for the Grumps. We always go and the only reason we don't film some of what were doing is because we don't have camera operators or editors." I grinned excitedly. Holly and Suzy laughed at my expression. 

Danny and Mark both came over to see what I was so excited about. Suzy explained but I wasn't listening. I was thinking about what costumes I could make and wear, what I would want to see, and geeking out about the fact I really might be able to go. Dan was smiling at me when my mental wandering ended, as was Mark. Danny spoke up. "Babe, you have the most gorgeous smile. What were you just thinking about?"

I blushed, but didn't stop grinning. "Um, I was planning costumes to make and wear, and mentally geeking out over all the cool stuff I might be able to see. Sorry."

Mark laughed. "Don't be sorry. It was cute. What kinds of costumes do you wear to conventions?"

I grinned a little bigger and pulled out my phone, opening the picture folder with some of my costumes. I let everyone look, scrolling at their own pace as I grabbed some food for myself and we all headed back to the living room, sitting wherever we could find a spot. I ended up on a pile of pillows on the floor between Mark's and Danny's feet. I leaned against their legs and sighed, enjoying the relaxed environment and company. Mark ended up with my phone last, and he decided he wanted a better look at some of the pictures so he sent them over his wifi connection to his TV, bringing them up much larger. I blushed as suddenly everyone turned to look. My blush got a lot brighter at the next picture to come up, a sexy, low cut, tight outfit I wore that I LARPed in. Holly asked about it. I smiled. "Uh, I made that one. It's chain mail, mostly, which I actually took the time to make one summer and only occasionally have to repair. I used stainless steel, heated the thick wires, used some pliers and bent links out of it, and connected them. Then I hammered thinks flatter, but made sure not to flatten everything too much." I chuckled. "That was the summer I worked at a Ren Fair as a blacksmith and I could actually work on that project at work, for the most part. I had to demo how to make nails, horseshoes, and a few other things as well, but mostly, they let me work on whatever projects I wanted that were appropriate. It was a workout, let me tell you. My arms were stronger than they've ever been."

Mark looked at me surprised. "Whoa. That takes a lot of muscle to do. No offense, but you don't look that strong."

I laughed as Danny made an indignant noise on my behalf. "Dude. I'm stronger than I look, man. So are a bunch of our friends. How can you just make assumptions Mark? Maybe she just is one of those people who doesn't bulk up."

"Danny, I can defend myself." I turned to Mark, merriment all over my face. My eyes were practically dancing. "I'm a lot stronger than I look. I lifted weights in college, mostly leg weights, and held the record at the gym I belonged to. More reps and more weight by nearly double anyone else." Mark raised and eyebrow and tilted his head a little. I blushed. "I can still lift a little over eight hundred pounds with my legs, for several hundred reps. My arms aren't as strong. I can lift about two hundred pounds, but not for long or as many reps. I used to be a lot stronger." I sighed, some of the humor leaving my face. "I haven't been to the gym in ages. I've been making do with a pedal machine under my desk while I work on animations since I moved out here, unless I borrowed my friend's treadmill or stationary bike. I need to buy some equipment and get back in the habit of going to the gym."

Danny looked at me, smiling. "Wow babe. That's impressive. You must be a lot stronger than you look then. Not that you look all that weak, but wow."

I smiled up at Dan. "Thanks Danny. I'm not too worried about missing the gym lately anyway. I usually go workout twice a week, but I've been getting so much exercise working as a waitress, running around, then moving furniture, and not eating very regularly I have been losing weight, and maintaining my weight is my main motivation for going to the gym anyway." I made a face. "I mean, I don't LIKE exercise. I just need to do it. And now, I have stairs to run up and down everyday. I'm going to be a little less busy, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll still be plenty busy."

Arin laughed. "Yeah, I can't see you sitting around doing nothing much for long. What are your plans for tomorrow?"

I closed my eyes, smiling. "Sleep. Read a little. Animate. Work on my game design and patch some bugs. Sleep some more. Cook enough so I can eat leftovers all week if I want. Oh, and did I mention, sleep?"

Everyone chuckled. I opened my eyes again and conversation drifted to upcoming plans for various activities, including guests who were going to be visiting to film some Guest Grumps episodes. Holly turned to me at that point and asked if I had watched much of the channel yet. I blushed. "Um, not really. I always meant to, but never found the time. I mean, I have watched a few episodes, but not much yet."

Arin grinned. "Actually, that's her main job this week. I want her to sit in the office and watch as many episodes as she can, so she can get more familiar with our editing style, pick some episodes to animate, and generally see what's going on with our content."

Danny laughed. "Such a hard taskmaster."

I giggled, blushing. Everyone else teased either Arin or me for a few more minutes before conversation once again moved on as we all continued to eat. Before long, everyone was finished and Mark gathered up the trash, throwing it all away and bringing out the cookies, which he offered around. I grabbed a few and sat back again, nibbling them as I listened to everyone talking again. After we finished eating, we got out some games and ended up playing until it got pretty late. Finally, I stood up with a yawn. "Sorry everyone, I've had a really long day and I need to gather up my stuff and head home. Does anyone want any leftovers to take with them?" Mark stood up to help me gather things and dished out some soup, salad and enchiladas for himself for later. I got everything tucked into the basket again and the slow cooker back in the box to carry and started towards the door when I head footsteps run up behind me. I looked around to see Dan. 

"Hey, uh, can I get a ride home with you? I rode over with Arin and Barry, but since we live in the same building now..."

"Sure Danny. Let me just put this stuff in the back seat. Then I want to go say goodbye real fast and we can go home." Dan nodded and headed back inside. I put the basket in my car and braced it again, then loaded the slow cooker and braced it as well. When I walked back inside, everyone was gathering their things to get ready to go home. I waved goodbye and walked over to Mark, giving him a goodbye hug. "Bye Mark. See you soon." I smiled at him. "Sorry to break up the party."

He laughed. "It was a lot later than anyone realized. And I was starting to fall asleep in my seat too. Moving is pretty tiring. Tomorrow I have to go get Chica from the pet sitter and move the last of my things, but I wanted to be mostly moved in before she got here. I love her, but that dog can get under foot sometimes." I grinned and nodded. I started to turn to walk over to Dan, but Mark pulled me back, pulling me off to the side of the room, in a quiet corner. I looked at him curiously until he reached over and pulled my face down for a kiss. I kissed him back, then blushed when we heard whistles and hoots behind us. I ran over to the door waving at everyone, still blushing like crazy. Dan followed me out to the car, only teasing me a little. The drive home was short and we just talked for the few minutes it took, enjoying the fact that we could talk with no interruptions. Danny helped me haul the food in and I started to wish him goodnight, when he stopped me by kissing me. His kiss was different from Mark's, slower and sweeter, less rushed and impatient. I kissed him back until I felt dizzy and had to stop for air. 

I felt dazed. Dan looked dazed as he said a quiet goodnight. I put the food away and headed for bed, brushing my teeth, changing clothes, and doing my night time routine in a dazed mental state. I was in bed and asleep before I knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I'll try to do better, but life has been crazy lately and I have a lot of stories and story lines going. It's a little hard to keep them all straight. XD
> 
> And in case anyone was wondering, yes, I used to be able to lift that much weight with my legs, before my medical issues. Actually, in college I could lift just over a thousand pounds with my legs. The most I could ever reliably do with my arms has been about twenty reps of 280 pounds. But that was a while ago. Actually, I might be able to do more now than for a while, since I'm forced to rely on my arms to push myself around in the wheelchair.


	11. Dazed and Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dates with Mark and Danny leave you feeling more and more drawn to both of them.

After I got moved in to my own place, I had a few weeks of calm. At work, I was watching the channel, editing a few videos and filming new episodes every Friday. Arin had asked me to switch my hours around so I would be there when other people were more, which now that I was done at the diner and working on editing instead of the computers, made a lot more sense. With the new schedule, my life settled into a new routine. I usually got up in the morning, headed to the gym for an hour or worked out at home, came home, showered, worked on my animations or video game, then headed into the Grump Space by eleven, working until seven or so, then coming home, cooking and watching some TV or working on my animation and video game some more. On the weekends Danny and Mark would take me out somewhere for a date, sometimes both of them in the same day, one for lunch and one for dinner. It was lovely, but confusing. I could feel myself developing deeper feelings for both of them and was getting more and more sure I didn't really want to give either of them up. They were so different, but I was starting to think, after about a month of this routine, that I was falling in love with both of them. Was that even possible? These were the thoughts running through my brain this morning, the Friday five weeks after I moved into my new apartment and had that first date with Danny. I sighed to myself as I ran on my treadmill, pushing the speed up, trying to outrun my thoughts. It didn't work, but I did manage to tire myself out a bit. I groaned when someone knocked on my door. It was early enough in the day I wasn't sure who it would be. Danny didn't usually get up before nine, or at least not come visit me. It was just past seven now. I stopped my music, a workout mix of mostly eighties uptempo stuff with the occasional NSP or Starbomb song, stopped the treadmill, and ran over to the door, muscles burning. I peeked through the peephole, but couldn't see who was there, so I set the security chain and unlocked the door, opening it just a crack. I was surprised to see Suzy standing there, but I quickly let her in, undoing the security chain, ushering her over to the couch. "Hey Suzy, what's up?"

"[Y/N], sorry to come by so early, but I was pretty sure you would be up. To be honest, I didn't know who to talk to. You seemed like the best choice for a couple of reasons though. You listen, without judging, you're patient, and you don't tell other people's secrets. I really need to talk to someone."

I looked at her. "Sure thing. Can you give me five minutes to go grab a fast shower first? I'm pretty sweaty from my morning workout." Suzy nodded so I ran off and grabbed a three minute shower, feeling much more human when I emerged and sat down next to her. "Thanks for waiting. Now, what's wrong?"

Suzy looked down, clearly agitated. "Arin drank too much last night. Like a lot too much. When he came home, he was so angry, I was afraid of him for a little while, so I locked myself in our bedroom and told him to sleep it off on the couch. When I got up this morning, worried about him, I saw he had kicked a hole in the wall next to the front door. His shoe was still in the wall. His other shoe was on his foot, and he was passed out cold on the couch. It's the first time in my life I've ever been scared of him, and I never want it to happen again. What do I do?"

I grabbed Suzy's hands. "First, you calm down. Everyone is okay now. No one was actually hurt. Second, we wait for Arin to wake up, then have a talk with him. In the meantime, we're going to have some breakfast. Sound like a plan?"

Suzy looked at me, smiling. "Yeah. Sounds like a good plan. I knew you'd be the right person to talk to. You're so calm and level headed when you're not being overly shy." I laughed, standing up and heading into the kitchen. Suzy followed me. "Uh, nothing too aromatic please. I think I made myself sick from worrying about this last night. My stomach is all twisted and I'm afraid anything that smells really strong is just going to come right back up on me."

I nodded, sympathetically. "Sure thing. How about some fruit and waffles?" Suzy nodded, so I started cooking, whipping up waffle batter and slicing some fruit to go with it. Before long the food was ready. I could tell Suzy still needed a distraction, so I decided we were going to have a chat. "Suzy, I have a topic I'd like to discuss with you, if you don't mind, while we eat. It's about my dating life."

Suzy looked curiously at me now. "Okay, now you've got my attention [y/n]. Spill."

I blushed. "So you know I've been seeing Danny and Mark for just over a month now, right?" She nodded. I went on. "Well, things are going really well. Like extremely well. To the point I'm afraid to let either of them down. I still like them both. A lot. And now my feelings are starting to deepen." I looked down.

Suzy looked at me for a few seconds, then laughed. "Oh my god! You've managed to fall for both of them. Oh sweetie." She hugged me. "Well, you're just going to have to sit down with them and talk to them. I don't think either of them want to give you up either. I mean, Danny has been happier lately than I've ever seen him. Same with Mark, really." I sighed. "I know that's not what you were hoping to hear. I don't have any fast answers for you." She smiled at me, supportively. "Now, let me ask you a question. Just how deep are your feelings?" 

I looked down at the table, suddenly unable to meet her gaze, and traced an invisible picture on the table. I could feel her eyes on me, waiting patiently until I answered. I gathered my thoughts, scattered as they were, and finally looked back up into her waiting face. "I... I think, I might be in love with both of them." My voice was barely a whisper as I admitted this to her, and myself, saying the words out loud for the first time. "I mean, I care deeply about both of them. I want the both to be happy. They make my heart race every time I see them. When they smile, my heart skips. When they frown or are sad, I feel an overwhelming need to make them feel better. I almost need to be around them. Either of them. Both of them. Oh god, how the hell did this happen." I lowered my head into my hands, feeling overwhelmed as I realized exactly what I was saying.

I felt Suzy's arm go around me. "Yup. Sounds like love." I looked at her, despair on my face. "Hey, come on! It's not bad that you love them. Sure, it might be a little soon to tell them, but I think you'll find they feel the same way. I have faith in the three of you, that you'll all work this out so everyone is happy." She grinned unabashedly at me now. "So, next question. How's the sex? I mean, I know Danny acts all overconfident most of the time, but I always wondered if maybe he's just trying the old 'fake-it-'til-you-make-it' idea. And Mark just has that air about him. And don't tell Arin, but his voice..."

I blushed mightily. "Oh, I know. But we haven't... I mean, neither of them have made the move on me yet. Honestly, I'm a little confused about that. And grateful, if I'm truthful. I've never..." My blush intensified and I put my head down, in my arms, on the table. 

"Oh sweetie. I had no idea. Do either of them know?" I shook my head as Suzy hugged me again. "How on earth did you get to be this old and never have had sex? Were you waiting for someone special?"

I looked down. "Not really. I just never dated much. I have always been a shy geek. I mean, I dated a few guys in college, but never seriously, and have been on less than a handful of dates since college with anyone except Danny and Mark." I blushed. "I feel like I'm in way over my head. I'm sure I'm missing signals, if they're sending them, but I have no idea how to tell them any of this. What am I going to do? I mean, I really kind of want the first time to be special, but I just... I don't know what I'm doing." I put my head back down in my arms. "This is so embarrassing to talk about. But thanks for listening. I needed to tell someone."

Suzy patted my back. "Oh sweetie, of course I'll help you. Now, the real question is, who are you going to, um, go first with? And are you going to tell either of them?"

I sat up and froze, my whole body suddenly going cold, stiff, and still. "Oh shit. I hadn't thought of that. Do I need to tell them both? And who am I going to do it with? Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!"

Suzy hugged me gently. "Calm down. It's not like either one of them is going to judge you. Just relax, please. I mean, you seem ready to have a panic attack here if you don't calm down. Just breathe." I slowly calmed back down as she continued to hold me and soothe me by changing the subject and just talking to me, not expecting any answers. My brain was still buzzing with anxiety though, and by the time Suzy admitted she had to go, I was calm, but nervous and slightly sick to my stomach. She smiled at me as she left, voicing a final opinion on the subject. "Listen, you don't have to decide anything right now. Take some time and think this through. Call a few of your friends and get opinions. Talk to the guys. I'm sure they won't mind waiting, especially not if they know why. Just don't rush into anything and and worry so much. I'm going to go talk to Arin. See you soon sweetie." Suzy looked at me one more time, saw my panicked expression, and chuckled. "Sweetie, I meant talk to Arin about what happened last night, not about you. Actually though, do you want to come along? I'm not sure if you should be alone right now, and I could definitely use the support. This isn't going to be a fun talk."

I nodded, then held up a hand. "Give me a few minutes. I need to change clothes for work and grab a few things, but then we can go. Hey, do you want to go ahead? I'll come as soon as I'm ready. I need my car today anyway, and that way you don't have to wait for me. You can drive however fast you're comfortable with and if you need to stop anywhere along the way, you can. I'll be there as soon as I can, and you can wait for me in your car. Then we can talk to Arin together, okay?"

Suzy smiled, looking extremely relieved. "That's perfect. I do need to stop at the store and pick up a couple of things real fast, but it shouldn't take me more than three or four minutes. Take however long you need sweetie. I'll see you at our house soon, okay? Bye!" With that she ran down the steps of my apartment building, heading for the parking lot. I smiled and got ready for work, dressing in my usual jeans and tee shirt combo. Today, I wore a shirt that said 'You read my t-shirt. That's enough social interaction for one day.' in a soft grey material and my dark blue jeans. I put on my bright silver and white shoes, added a purple headscarf, for a little color, and threw on my necklace (two dragons in gold and green intertwined around a small sapphire) and my rings, then picked up my bag and laptop before grabbing my keys and walking out the door. I locked up and headed down to my car, stopping to check my mail, which I had forgotten to do the previous day. I had a small package waiting, so I took everything out to my car and opened the package there. It was from my Mom, a gift of some earrings, and a note, telling me she saw them and thought of me immediately. I smiled. They were pictures of space in small oval drops. I immediate put them on and made a note on my phone to call her and thank her later, or at very least email her a thank you today. I missed her, and this was a very thoughtful gesture. I sighed as I drove, thinking about my family and missing being able to just drop in anytime and see them. Mom was my biggest supporter and we had been through a lot together, from my father's long illness and eventual death, to my own battles with depression and shyness, as well as her struggles to provide for us and balance work and family life. Mom was amazingly strong, and I had learned a lot from her about emotional strength.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts as I pulled up to Arin and Suzy's place. Suzy wasn't there yet, so I pulled my phone out and gave Mom a quick call. She answered right away. "Hi Mom."

"[Y/N]! Baby, how are you? Is California everything you hoped? Are you settling into your new apartment okay? Are you making friends? How's your job going? Have you been seeing anyone special?"

I laughed. "Mom! Give me a chance to answer, will you? California is amazing. Well, LA is amazing. I haven't actually managed to go anywhere else out here. And I am settled in my apartment just fine. It's really nice. You should come visit me when you can get away. I have a guest room. And I want you to meet my friends." I grinned knowing she couldn't see me, but not caring. "Yes, I have made friends out here, mostly through work, but close friends all the same. They are fellow geeks. And yes, I am seeing someone. Actually, two guys are interested and we've been dating for just over a month. They are both really special. I'd love to introduce them to you sometime. I miss you, Mom."

"Oh baby, I miss you too. And I'm really happy to hear you're making friends."

"Listen Mom, I have to go to work in a few minutes, but I wanted to call and thank you for the earrings you sent me. I just got them. I love them."

Mom laughed. "I figured you were on the way to work. Have a good day sweetheart. I'll talk to you again soon. I'm glad you like the earrings."

"Bye Mom. I love you."

"Bye baby. Love you too." With that, she disconnected the call. I smiled a small, bittersweet smile. Mom know how much I hated talking on the phone, so she always made sure to keep the calls short. Just as I shook my head one final time and put my phone away, Suzy pulled into her driveway. We both got out of our cars and headed into the house, Suzy leading the way. She opened the front door carefully, making sure not to make a lot of noise or startle Arin. He was still out cold on the couch. I came in behind her, not being as quiet, but not being overly loud either. I looked at her. She was shaking slightly, clearly fighting back a lot of fear. I gave her a hug, to help calm her and reassure her that she wasn't alone. She smiled weakly at me and mouthed a thank you, which I just nodded to, and set her purse down. Then she looked around nervously.

I sighed, loudly. She looked startled. "Suzy, why don't you go make some coffee. Oh, and I'd like some tea, green tea if you have it, with a touch of honey." Suzy blinked, surprise clear on her face, then nodded and practically ran for the kitchen. Arin rolled over at the sound of voices, but didn't react otherwise. I scowled at him a little and walked over to the windows throwing the blinds open on all the windows, flooding the room with light. Arin sat up with a curse and moan.

"Ahh. Why the hell is it so bright?!? Who's even here? And why the hell does my mouth taste like dead ass?!?"

I chuckled. "Mornin' Arin. Suzy invited me over. She's in the kitchen making some coffee, but I suggest you go take a couple of painkillers and drink some water. We need to have a little talk." 

He cracked an eye open at me and squinted. "[Y/N]? What time even is it? What the hell are you doing here? Don't you have to go in for work? Oh, god. I think I'm going to die." Arin moaned and grabbed his stomach as he sat up. 

I gave him a spectacularly unsympathetic look. "Yes, Arin. It's me. And it's about nine thirty. I'll go to work after this. And as I mentioned, Suzy invited me over. Now go get some painkillers and water. It will help you feel better. Move it."

Arin got up and dragged himself down the hall, looking for all the world like a little kid who's just humoring his mother so she'll stop yelling at him. I hid a grin and settled down in one of the armchairs facing the couch, waiting for Suzy and Arin to come back. I had noticed that Arin was limping as he walked down the hall, so I made a mental note to make sure I made him go get it checked out before he came into the Grump Space today. Danny could either record without Arin this morning, or we could record a Steam Train first and do the session with Arin later in the day. While I waited I looked around the room, my eyes finally coming to rest o the very obvious hole in the wall that Arin's shoe was still stuck in. I shook my head, imagining how scary that must have been for Suzy. Just a moment later, both Suzy and Arin came back in the room, from different directions. Arin looked like hell. Suzy had our drinks on a tray, but she handed me mine and took her own before sitting down opposite me, almost as far from Arin as she could sit. She immediately looked down at her coffee and didn't look back up until I cleared my throat. Arin winced at the noise and grabbed his head. "Geez! Not so loud. You don't have to make so much noise."

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Arin, all I did was clear my throat. Trust me, I'm being quiet. At least right now. Wait a few minutes, and depending on how this talk goes, you can hear me at full volume. I'm very angry with you for the way you treated Suzy last night. You scared the shit out of her."

Arin looked up sharply. "What? What did I do? I can't even remember getting home last night. The last thing I remember is getting a few drinks with Barry and Ross. Then I woke up when you came stomping in and opened every damn blind we have right into my face."

I looked at him, then at Suzy. Suzy looked angry now. "Arin, you came home and started yelling at me, threatening me, and scared the shit out of me for no reason. I had to lock myself back in the bedroom, I was so scared. When I got up early to check on you, because it was so quiet out here, I saw you passed out on the couch, one shoe on, one shoe in that new hole in the walk over there." She pointed to where his other shoe still was. "I've never seen you that drunk. You had absolutely no right to treat me that way though, alcohol or not. If it happens again, I'm not going to put up with it. I'm not going to be scared in my own home. You'll either be finding a new place to stay until you sober up, or a new place permanently, without me." She took a steadying breath and with a shaky hand took a sip of coffee, then made a face and added some sugar to her drink. I smiled reassuringly at her. "[Y/N] will no doubt kick your ass back in line too, if I ask her to. Why the hell did you get so drunk in the first place?"

Arin looked truly horrified as Suzy explained what he had put her through the previous night. My attitude softened a little. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I had no idea... And I definitely didn't want to put you through that. I think those drinks Barry ordered must have been a lot stronger than I knew." He shook his head and winced visibly. "Ow. You're absolutely right to be angry at me. I'm an idiot. Can you forgive me?"

Suzy crossed her arms. "Maybe. Not right now though. You really did scare me a lot. I didn't sleep much and I've been feeling sick all morning because of it, and worrying about you. You could have hurt yourself, drinking that much. Not to mention kicking the wall. Are you really okay?"

I spoke up. "Yeah, Arin. Is your ankle okay? I saw you limping down the hall. Can we see it? I doubt you broke it, of you can stand to put weight on it, unless it's just a hairline fracture, but you could have sprained the ankle or cut it up and not known because of how wasted you were. Maybe we can help you decide whether or not to have a doctor look at it today before you come in to work."

Arin blinked, flushed, and slowly lifted his leg up and rolled up his pant leg, removing his sock so we could all assess the damage. His ankle was severely swollen, purple, black, and blue, and puffy, looking angry and painful. I could see several cuts that had stopped bleeding but didn't look all that good either. I winced in sympathy. Suzy suddenly covered her mouth and rushed out of the room. I could hear her throwing up in the bathroom down the hall. Arin looked a little green as well. "Shit. I don't think I can drive with my ankle like this. Can you take me to the doctor, please, [y/n]? I don't think Suzy's going to be up to it."

I nodded. "Yeah. Let me go get something for you to ice your ankle with and some first aid supplies and I'll patch you up until we can get you to the doctor. Be right back." I headed in the kitchen and grabbed some frozen pea from the freezer and a kitchen towel, wrapping the towel around the peas and handing it to Arin to place on his ankle. "Here. Use this for now. I'm going to grab some peroxide and bandages from Suzy." Arin nodded and took the peas, whimpering slightly as he settled the ice on his ankle. I headed back to the bathroom and gently knocked on the door. "Suzy? Sweetie, can I come in?" 

Suzy unlocked the door and opened it, pulling me in after her, where she promptly closed the door again and locked it. I raised an eyebrow. "Oh god, oh god, oh god. Why now? Why?"

"Suzy? Are you okay?" She shook her head. "What's up? Oh, and I need some peroxide and bandages to clean the cuts on Arin's ankle."

Suzy suddenly hugged me tight, leaning on me like I was a life raft in the middle of a stormy ocean and she was lost at sea. "How am I going to deal with this now?"

I looked at her, slowly raising an arm to rest it on her back, in hopes of calming her down. "What's going on, Suz?"

Suzy looked at me for a long minute. Then she sighed and started crying a little, silent tears, as she explained. "I think I might be pregnant. This is the fifth day in a row I've been sick in the morning. That was also why I didn't want anything with a strong smell this morning. I'm scared. And how can I tell Arin, especially after last night? I mean, I get it, the drinks snuck up on him more than he thought, but still, I had no idea he could even be violent at all. God, could the timing on this be any worse?"

I blinked and hugged her tight. "Oh Suz! That's amazing. And just you wait. Arin's going to be awesome. Now, have you taken a home test?" She shook her head. I grinned. "Well, then let's get you tested as the clinic when we take Arin in to get his ankle checked out. They can tell you for sure. I'm so happy for you. Oh, and yes, the timing could have been worse. Imagine if something had happened last night. Or if Arin hadn't come home because he had gotten seriously hurt and you found out after that, while you were trying to help him recover or dealing with things."

Suzy smiled at my enthusiasm and relaxed. "Thanks. For everything. And you're absolutely right. The timing could have been worse, I guess. Let me get that stuff for you to help Arin and then let me go change. I want to wear something else to work, and we can go directly from the doctor's if you don't mind driving all of us. The we can either take you out for dinner or call a cab home later if you don't want to drive us home again." I nodded, letting her gather the stuff I wanted up. When she handed it to me, I smiled a thank you, and she grinned. "Oh, and please don't say anyhting to Arin."

"Of course not. I'll see you in a couple of minutes." She nodded and I headed back out to the living room, looking at Arin as I did so. He looked pale, sick, and worried. I sat down on a rolling chair and rolled over to him, gently lifting his leg up to look at his ankle better. The cuts, of which there were several, looked mostly shallow, but two of them were deep, and all of them looked jagged. I used a cotton ball to start gentle cleaning them with peroxide, washing away the dried blood and hopefully most, if not all, the dirt and germs. When the cuts had stopped foaming, I wiped everything down, very gently, with a clean cotton ball, and applied some antibacterial cream, bandaging up the scrapes. The two worst cuts were bleeding a little again, so I grabbed bigger gauze pads and tightly bandaged them, doing butterfly bandages in hopes of helping them close back up before we got to the doctor. Then I looked at Arin. He was sweating heavily, whimpering, and trying not to cry out while I had been working and looked drained now. "Okay, Arin. I'm done. You should probably go change clothes. If I were you, I'd just put some sandals or flip flops on today. I don't thing anything that puts pressure on that ankle is going to be a good idea. From what I could tell, just by looking, while I was cleaning those cuts up, you probably have a sprained ankle. You might need some crutches too buddy. Now, go. You need something clean to wear before I'm letting you in my car. You smell like stale booze and vomit." Arin started to stand up, but fell back into the couch when he tried to put weight on his ankle. I sighed. "I have an idea. You stand up, then rest your knee for the bad leg on this chair and roll yourself back to your bedroom. That way you don't have to actually put weight on the ankle."

Arin nodded and tried again. When he flopped back in place I rolled my eyes, reached down, and lifted him up unceremoniously, then dropping him on the rolling chair. I rolled the chair back to the room, with him guiding me, and stopped at the door, where Suzy was just emerging from the closet, freshly changed. She squeaked when she saw us, then grinned. "What happened now?"

I grinned back at her. "Your big, strong, husband couldn't stand up to walk back here. I had to lift him over to this chair. I pushed him back here to change clothes. Can you help him? I'll wait here and we can push him back out and get him down to the car after. I think I'm going to call Danny and let him know what's going on. Oh, and he's going to need either sandals or flip flops so nothing touches his ankle."

Suzy grinned and nodded, coming over and dragging Arin and the chair into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. I took that moment to grab my phone from my pocket and bring up Danny's number. I dialed immediately, stepping back down the hall to the living room. Dan picked up on the third ring. "Mmph. 'ello?"

I smiled. "Good morning Danny. Sorry to call so early. Listen, Arin, Suzy and I are going to be late coming in today. Can you let everyone know? Arin hurt himself last night, and I'm taking him to the doctor. We'll head in as soon as we can, but I have the feeling Arin's going to need his ankle x-rayed and possibly a few stitches."

"[Y/N]? Holy shit! What happened?"

"Arin got really drunk last night and ended up kicking a wall, scaring Suzy really bad. She came over to see me this morning to talk about it, and we came back here. After we talked to Arin, I looked at his ankle. I know some first aid, but this needs professional treatment. He's probably going to be on crutches for a few weeks, at least, as well, so don't be surprised."

Danny chuckled. "Oh, he's going to be in a sweet mood, isn't he? I'll warn everyone at work."

"Thanks Danny. Oh, and maybe don't warn Barry or Ross. I have the feeling Suzy may want a word with them as well. And those words won't be kind or happy."

"Got it. Thanks for helping them. I mean, I know they're your friends too, but Arin's like a brother to me, and this means a lot, knowing you're looking out for them." He sighed. "I'm a little surprised Suzy didn't come to me about Arin."

I giggled. "Danny, she showed up before eight on my doorstep. Can you tell me you would have been awake for that? Honestly?"

I could hear the embarrassment in his voice when he answered. "No. I definitely would have been asleep. What were you doing up that early?"

"I was working out. I always work out or go to the gym in the mornings before work, then animate or work on my game after I grab some breakfast. Or while I eat, if I'm honest. I work on that stuff until it's time to get ready and head out for work. You know I like to keep busy. How else am I going to get everything done?"

Danny chuckled. "I have no idea how you get everything done. It never occurred to me to question it either. Now I know. Oh, and how's Suzy holding up?"

I thought for a minute, then skated close to the truth. "Ehh, not bad, but not great. She's stressed and feeling a little sick from all the worry and everything else. She'll be okay though. Arin will too, after he gets over the hangover and gets his ankle checked out. Listen, I have to go. I need to help Suz get Arin out to my car. I think they're probably about ready to go. See you later Danny!"

"Bye [y/n]. Stay safe." I smiled as we disconnected. Suzy was just opening the bedroom door, looking for me. I stepped back up to the bedroom door.

Suzy smiled at me and pushed the chair back into the hall. Arin was now wearing clean clothes and Suzy had managed to brush his hair and pull it back in a ponytail so it was out of his face. He still looked vaguely sick and out of it, so I took over, pushing him down the all to the front door, Suzy close behind, gathering her things and Arin's wallet. As soon as she picked up her purse, I pushed Arin to the front door. "Okay Arin. Here's where you have to help. I'm going to lift you up and set you on your feet. I'll stay under your shoulder on the side with your injured ankle, so you can lean on me when you would need to step down on that side, but you've got to walk the rest of the way out to my car. Suzy will sit next to you in the back until we get to the doctor's office, then I'll get you a wheelchair. Think you can handle that?"

Arin nodded and braced for pain. I was as gentle as possible when I set him on his feet, immediately supporting his shoulder on the bad side. He suddenly grinned at me. "You know, I always forget you're basically the same height as me. That's going to make this a hell of a lot easier." He looked down for a minute, losing the smile. "I'm really sorry, both of you, for all of this. [Y/N], thanks for looking out for us and helping Suzy deal with all this shit. Suzy, baby, you have no idea how sorry I really am." Suzy reached a hand over and touched his other shoulder. He looked up at her. She just nodded. Then he looked at me again. "Well, let's get this fucking three legged race bullshit over with. You were absolutely right, this will work to get me out to the cars though. How are we going to get to work and home again though?"

I sighed. "Either I'll drive you or you can call a cab. Or maybe someone else from the office can take you home if I can't. We can worry about that after we get you checked out. For all we know, neither of you are going to be allowed to go back to work today. I'm making Suzy get checked out because of how stressed and anxious she has been. I don't want to see her have an anxiety attack or something because I wasn't paying attention or things overwhelmed her without anyone noticing. Now, less talking more hopping Arin. Stop stalling. Suz, the car's not locked, so why don't you go get in. It will be easier for me to help Arin in if you can guide him from the other side, inside the car. Thanks."

Suzy shot me a grateful look. "Thank you. Okay, Arin, sweetheart, I'll be right there waiting, okay?" Arin nodded and we all swung into action. It took about four times as long as normal to walk the short distance to my car from the front door of their house, but we got there in the end, with much swearing. I helped Arin in the car and we drove off to the local non-emergency, walk-in clinic. I ran in and got a wheelchair, loaded Arin in it, and pushed him inside to wait. I grabbed clipboards for both Arin and Suzy to fill out, telling the receptionist what was going on in hushed tones. She smiled when I explained I was a friend and the driver for both of them, since neither one was really up to driving at the moment, and she entered their information in the computer. Arin was called back a few minutes later, and I rolled his chair back to the doors where the nurse was waiting to take him to start the exam. Then I sat down with Suzy to wait. She looked up at me and smiled, looking more relaxed than I had seen her since she showed up on my doorstep this morning. "Wow. You wouldn't believe how much better I feel now, [y/n]. You really know how to take charge when you need to. And you don't seem nearly as shy as I expected."

I looked down. "Yeah, well, it's an emergency. I can handle things until it's over. Then I'm right back to being a mousy mess. I know you guys need me and the medical staff needs to know what's going on. I had first aid training a long time ago, and actually worked as a volunteer rescue squad member for a little while back home. Like I said, I can handle the immediate crisis, then my shyness makes my life hell for the rest of the day." I looked back up at her. "How are you doing now?"

She made a face. "Fighting hard not to throw up. I don't know if it's morning sickness, nerves, or if I have a stomach bug. You were right to make me face it though. I need to know." I nodded. She smiled again. "Thank god you get up so early and didn't mind my insanity this morning. I couldn't have handled this without a major meltdown on my own. Hey, if you need anything, let us know, okay? We definitely owe you a few favors now."

I smiled and shook my head, pulling my phone out to pass the time. I was checking Twitter, replying to tweets and DM's when they called Suzy back. She was gone about ten minutes, then came back and sat down quietly, looking terrified. I looked over at her, saw her expression, and put the phone away, just holding her hands while she waited for the results or news about Arin. About twenty minutes later both arrived, almost at the same time. The nurse she had seen came back out to tell her she needed to come back to talk to the doctor again, just as the nurse who had taken Arin back came looking for her. I told them who I was and Suzy was taken back to talk to the doctor while I talked to the other nurse about Arin. He was having his leg and foot x-rayed as we spoke, with a probable fracture of the foot. He would most likely need a cast and definitely need to be on crutches for a while. I nodded. I grinned when I heard he would also be restricted from driving for a month, at least, or until the cast came off and he was medically cleared to drive again. I nodded once more and told the nurse I would relay the message to his wife and that I didn't have any questions, but would make sure she asked any that she had when they brought Arin back out. The nurse nodded and stepped back again. I waited for Suzy to come back. I didn't have long to wait. She looked stunned when she sat back down next to me, tears in her eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. "Suzy? Is everything okay?"

She swallowed a few times and nodded, a huge smile suddenly breaking out across her face. "I'm pregnant. I'm going to be a mom. Oh my god!" I smiled, happy to see her so happy. She looked around. "Where's Arin? I figured the nurse was coming back to tell me he was ready to leave."

I shook my head. "Nah. He had to go get his leg x-rayed. They think he has a broken foot. Even if he doesn't he's going to be on crutches for a while and can't drive until he gets medically cleared though. So it looks like you'll need to cart him around, or get some of us to drive him places if you need some time to yourself or have to go somewhere without him." I winked at her. "I don't think most of us at work will mind. Especially when you share your news. I'm really happy for you sweetie."

Suzy grinned hugely and hugged herself. "I can't believe how excited I am now that I know for sure. God, I hope Arin is this excited."

I laughed. "Yeah, I think he will be, at least after he gets used to the idea. And you know Danny's going to want to get in on this and be the 'cool uncle', right? This kid of yours is going to have a whole team of people to help raise them. Me included, in case that wasn't clear."

Suzy smiled at me. "Thanks. Having your support means a lot. I know you're right about the rest of the Grumps too. And I'm sure Arin will be thrilled. He might need a little time to get used to the idea though."

We sat quietly for another ten or fifteen minutes when suddenly we heard a loud commotion headed our way. It took a few minutes for us to realize it was Arin, bitching and whining about having to stay in the wheelchair while he was in the office, having to use crutches when he left and the fact that he now had a large cast taking up too much room that he was quite sure was going to be in the way and itchy. I bit back a grin when I looked at Suzy. She was smiling and shaking her head. When the nurse stopped, handing the squawking Arin over to us, she double checked that neither of us had questions, reminded Arin of his no driving restriction, handed over the prescriptions for him to take, a muscle relaxant and a antibiotic for the cuts and sprained ankle around the broken foot and leg bones, and a pain killer. We nodded and thanked her, and I pushed Arin out to the car, helping him in the back seat, while Suzy got in the front. We dropped the prescriptions off at the pharmacy, including Suzy's, and I parked the car while we waited. The pharmacy said it would be half an hour or less, so I decided to just stay here until things were ready. Arin had stopped complaining when he saw us in the waiting room and was now silent, looking worried. 

I turned around in my seat to look at him. "How are you feeling Arin? Are you in a lot of pain?"

Arin shook his head. "It's not too bad. Mental pain more than physical right now." He looked at me, then his eyes darted to Suzy. "Suzy, baby, are you okay? What did the doctor say? What were those prescriptions for? Did I hurt you last night and you not tell me? Oh shit, if I did I'm never going to forgive myself. Please tell me you're okay." 

Suzy reached a hand back and grabbed his, holding it tightly. "Relax babe. I'm fine. I'm better than fine, I'm amazing. I have some news to share, though, but I want to wait until I can sit with you."

I looked over at her and smiled. "Suz, go ahead and climb in the back with him for a few minutes. I'll open the passenger side door so he can hang his leg out and go inside and wait. That way the two of you can have some alone time. See you in a little while guys." I climbed out of my car, grabbing my purse, and stepped around to the back, opening the door and helping Arin slide his leg out so Suzy could slide in on the other side and cuddle with him to talk. She beamed as she got in, looking so happy it looked almost painful. I waved a little and headed inside, pulling out my phone and texting Dan. He immediately called me.

"So, what's the word? Will we be seeing any of you today?"

I laughed. "Hello again. Yes, we're all headed in shortly. We had to stop and pick up some medicines, but they'll be done in less than half an hour, then we'll be right in. Arin and Suzy are waiting in the car, talking. Arin's got a busted foot and leg. I don't know how he managed to walk on it this morning when he first got up, but he did, and now he's on crutches and in a cast. Suzy's a lot calmer too. Hey, you need anything while I'm here waiting? I'm going to kill some time in the store so they can talk a bit more privately. Oh, and Arin can't drive anywhere for a while."

Danny laughed. "Oh, he's going to be in one hell of a pissy mood then, isn't he? And I think I'm good."

I chuckled. "Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see."

Danny was still laughing. "Ooo, so mysterious. What are you psychic again?"

"Hey, do not doubt my powers. Have I been wrong yet? Hmm. I better get Barry and Ross some Tylenol. I noticed the office bottle was empty the other day. And I bet we need some first aid stuff too. Hmm."

I could almost hear Danny raise his eyebrows. "Do you know something I don't?"

I laughed. "Well, duh. I mean, I'm sure I know lots of things you don't. I have a flair for useless trivia and tend to remember crap I don't even want to. Or did you have something specific in mind that you were asking about?" 

"Uh, what? Wait, what are you talking about? What trivia? I'm confused."

I giggled. "Never play Trivial Pursuit against me. I'm a killer at useless knowledge. And I know a lot of science, history, arts, entertainment, literature, and music. Geography and sports aren't as strong, but still, I can kick some serious ass at that game. Or Jeopardy! Heh. That's what I should play on the channel, some Jeopardy!"

Danny laughed again. "Okay. What were we talking about? I've totally forgot now. Listen, I better let you go. I have to finish getting ready and head in myself. You know, you guys are hardly going to be late at all. You'll probably get there by eleven or so."

"Yeah, that's what I figure too. See you soon Danny."

"Yup. Catch you later!"

I sighed as he hung up the phone. I gathered a few things I thought we needed at the Grump Offices, including a restock of emergency chocolate and tampons, and checked out. I had just finished ringing out when they called the order number for Arin's and Suzy's medications. I picked them up, giving their dates of birth, tucking them in my shopping bag, and walked out to the car. Suzy had managed to get Arin seated in her lap and shut the far door, so I grinned at them as I got in, handing the bag of medicine back to them. "So? How did the talk go?"

Suzy grinned at me. Arin burst in before she could answer. "Fan-fucking-tastic. I'm going to be a daddy. Holy shit. Damn. I mean, fucking hell!"

I grinned. "So eloquent. Are you two ready to head into work now?" They nodded, snuggling in the back seat. I saw Arin patting Suzy's belly a few times in the rear view mirror and Suzy played with Arin's hair for most of the drive. They were incredibly sweet and I was glad I had given them a few minutes to themselves while I waited for the prescriptions. When we pulled into the parking lot, Arin handed me a temporary handicap parking permit, which I hung from my rear view mirror and I hopped out, grabbing the crutches, my purse, and the bag of stuff from the pharmacy. I ran over to help Arin out of the car, handing the crutches over. He ended up needing a little more assistance from me, so I hauled him up, helping him balance on one foot while he got the crutches sorted. 

When he was done, he grinned at me. "You're awesome. I can't believe you picked me up and carried me more than once today though. I'm not even mad that you knew about the baby news before me."

I laughed. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't have known about it at all today if I hadn't made Suzy get checked at the clinic when she told me she thought she might be pregnant this morning. Now, let's get you inside and in your office before the whole day is wasted."

Arin laughed again. "You get that it's only like quarter 'till eleven right?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That late? Damn." He laughed again as I helped him in to the elevator, holding the door for Suzy. We all arrived at the office and I helped Arin back to his desk, sliding a chair over to prop his cast on. Then I looked down at it. It was bright, bright orange. "You know, it's going to be really hard not to draw all over that thing. It makes my fingers itch to grab a sharpie just seeing all that blank space."

Arin laughed. "God, you think like I do. Go ahead. You get first crack at it. You earned it." I grinned gleefully, and grabbed a black sharpie, drawing my Grump head on his foot and signing it. Arin burst out laughing when he saw what I drew. "You now everyone else is going to hate you now, right? They're either going to feel the need to draw their own Grump head, or feel bad and ask me to instead."

I laughed. "All part of my master plan. Now, excuse me. I have work to do."

Arin grabbed my arm. "Hey, seriously, thank you. And don't worry about work time today. You can definitely count all the time you spent driving Suzy and I to the doctor, waiting for us, and driving us here. And I'm your boss, so what I say goes, okay?"

I nodded. "Thanks Arin. I still have shit I need to get done though. Including an animation for the channel I want to try to finish by the end of the day, if possible. Just yell if you need something. Someone will hear you, I'm sure." I grinned again and headed out the door. When I got to my desk, I settled in with a sigh. I booted my computers up and made myself a cup of tea while I waited for everything to load. Danny saw me in the kitchen and came over with a smile.

"Good morning gorgeous. Is Arin in a foul mood, like I suspect?"

I shook my head. "Nope. He's actually pretty happy. Go check on him yourself." 

Danny came a little closer and hugged me around the waist. "I don't want to. All I want to do is steal kisses." He leaned in and started kissing me. I blinked in surprise. It took a minute for my brain to catch up, then I was kissing him back. He backed me into the fridge, leaning in close and just kept kissing me, sweet, slow kisses, that melted my brain, made my toes curl, and made me forget where I was. Suzy's giggle brought me back to reality. Danny broke the kisses off, let me go, and suddenly walked out of the kitchen. I was too stunned to do anything but slide down the fridge and sit on the floor, my knees drawn up to my chest while my brain struggled to catch up.

"Wow. So what did you do to get Danny so happy to see you sweetie?"

I blinked at Suzy. "I have no idea. He just..." I waved my hand, making vague gestures. "And I... What just happened?"

Suzy hugged me. "Come on, let's get your tea and get you back to your desk. Clearly Danny was happy to see you." I nodded vaguely and let her lead me back to my desk, handing me my tea as soon as I sat down. I stared off into space for a few minutes, then mentally shook myself and got to work. I was a dynamo, powering through everything until my stomach growled loud enough for Ryan, whose cubicle was next to mine, to hear. 

He looked over at me. "Whoa. You better go get something to feed that monster. Haven't you been working straight through lunch anyway? Go."

I went, stepping back into the kitchen and grabbing a takeout menu for the local Chinese place around the corner. They delivered as long as we ordered ten dollars or more, so I figured I'd order myself some lunch and dinner. I called in my order and was told they would be there in twenty minutes, so I headed to the bean bags to take a break. Mark was sitting on the couch, talking to Danny when I plopped down inelegantly. I laid there, face first, and just let the stress stream out of my body. I heard both me laugh. I looked up at them, raising my head. "Tough day babe? Danny was just telling me about some of what you were doing this morning. You know, I get up early and go to the gym before I start recording too. We should go together sometime."

I blinked. "Oh okay." I turned and sat up. 

Just then Arin's voice called out from his office. "HEY! I'm bored in here. Someone come entertain me!"

I laughed and stood up, but Danny beat me to the office. He closed the door behind him, so I started to settle back on the bean bag, but Mark pulled me down on to the couch next to him instead. He immediately pulled me into a kiss. I felt my brain melt yet again as I kissed him back. After a few moments, he let my go. "That's better. I've been missing you all day. Where have you been hiding?"

I stared at him stupidly for a few seconds. "Uh, nowhere? I've been working. You know, back at my cubicle." Mark pulled me into a hug now and just held on to me. I relaxed into him until I heard the delivery bell ring. "Hey Mark, that's for me. I need to go get my lunch. I promise, I'll be right back." Mark let me go with a sigh and I stood up, walking over to let the delivery person in and paid for my food. I grabbed my lunch, tucking the rest in the fridge to take home later, and came back to sit down. I opened the chopsticks and started eating as Mark wrapped an arm around my shoulders. A few minutes later, Danny re-emerged and came back, sitting down on my other side and wrapping an arm around my waist. The two men shared a look, nodded at each other, then leaned in and rested their heads on my shoulders. I was baffled. I had no idea what was going on. I just decided to eat my lunch and enjoy the moment, so when I finished, I was quite surprised when Danny grabbed the empty container and threw it away, kissing me gently as he left, then Mark stood up, helped me up, and kissed me, walking away into Arin's office. My head was spinning. I headed back to my office, stumbling a few times and sat down in my chair. Then I put my head down, trying to wrap my brain around what was going on. I couldn't and soon gave up, getting back to finishing my animation, which I completed in record time. I was completely done with my work by five, so I headed in to check on Arin. Suzy was in his office as well, sitting in a spare chair next to him. They grinned when they saw me. 

Arin spoke up first. "So, how was your day?"

I looked at him. "Confusing as hell. But I finished all my work, so, you know, I can try to figure it all out another time." 

Arin's grin got wider for a few seconds, then he paused. "Wait, you finished that animation already? Holy shit. I heard Danny was happy to see you. Is that why you're all confused?"

"Partly. Mark was quite happy too. I'm just baffled." I closed the door and took a seat, looking at Arin. "How's your leg?"

"Fine. The painkiller is working, so I'm not too upset. And Suzy's here, which makes everything better." 

I smiled at the look they shared. Suzy turned to me. "Is the confusion because of what we talked about this morning?"

I swallowed and nodded. "And when I took a lunch break they both kissed me and wrapped arms around me. I just don't know what to think, or do, or how to respond."

Suzy nodded. "Talk to them. I think they are waiting for you anyway. No time like the present."

I sighed, straightened up to my full height and walked out the door. I found Danny and Mark talking in the lounge area again. They stopped when I walked over. "What's up babe? Did Arin need to talk to Mark or I?"

I shook my head. "I need to talk to both of you."

Mark hugged me. "Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it today. You know we both care for you a lot right?" I nodded. "Well, Danny and I might have worked out a solution. we've been talking about this all day. We both are pretty sure we love you."

I blushed. "I love you both too. That's my problem."

Mark and Danny grinned happily. Danny leaned over and kissed me. "That's what we kind of figured was going on. We worked out a solution. We're both going to keep seeing you. We'll just be in a polyamorous relationship. Mark and I both know about the other. We're both agreeing to this. No one is lying or sneaking around." 

I blinked. "Really? Just like that?" I suddenly felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and I leaned forward drawing Mark into a passionate kiss. When I released him, I did the same for Danny. Both men looked stunned. I grinned. "You've just made me so happy guys. I have been worrying about this for weeks now. Every date we've been on, every time I'm with either of you, I just seem to fall more and more in love with both of you. I couldn't stand to let either of you go."

Mark recovered first. "Wow. We couldn't stand to let you slip away either. We'll still have plenty to work out, including what this means for Danny and I, but we can figure it out later."

I smiled shyly and nodded, snuggling into Danny's side. Mark leaned into me, hugging us both. Dan wrapped his arms around all of us. Which is of course, how Suzy and Arin found us a little while later, all cuddling on the couch together, Suzy winked at me and gave me a thumbs up then announced she and Arin were making Barry drive them home and Danny and I could leave anytime we wanted. Mark grinned as well. He had just been hanging around waiting for us to be ready to head out. Mark offered Danny a ride home while I headed back to my desk and grabbed what I was taking home and swung into the kitchen to get my extra food. I told the guys we could meet up later, agreeing to meet them at my apartment in half an hour, and headed home, humming softly to myself the entire drive home. I was very happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long delay between chapter! Health issues and the holidays kind of threw me off schedule pretty badly, but I'm back now!
> 
> And is this chapter long enough for y'all? 10,000+ words...


	12. Let's Talk About Sex *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to have a slightly awkward conversation with Danny and Mark. How are they going to take it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly NSFW content in this chapter. No actual smut, just discussion about sex.

When I got home, I immediately headed for the kitchen, putting my food away for another time. I decided to make some cookies as well, while I waited for the guys. The cookies, chocolate raspberry with a white chocolate drizzle, were just cooling when I heard a knock on the front door. I washed my hands quickly and dried them on a kitchen towel as I headed for the door, opening it to reveal both Danny and Mark waiting for me. I smiled brightly at them and let them in. Both men immediately started sniffing the air, smelling the cookies and warm chocolate, looking like oversized puppies, all happy and excited with their noses in the air. I chuckled quietly to myself as I closed the door again. The guys followed me into the kitchen, where I put the tea kettle on and offered to make coffee to go with the warm cookies. They both accepted so I started a pot, grabbed some plates, and put the still warm cookies on plates for all three of us, making my tea as soon as the water was hot and pouring cups of coffee for each of them, offering sugar or cream if they wanted it. They smiled as they watched me work, then as soon as I finished lead me back out to the living room to sit between them on the couch. Danny spoke first. "Babe, we thought we better sit down and have a long talk with you so we can work out just how this relationship is going to work. You can express any concerns you have and we can all set boundaries so no one is uncomfortable. Does that sound okay with you?"

I smiled and nodded, my mouth too full of warm cookie to answer for a second. After I swallowed my cookie I set the plate down next to my mug of tea and reached over to Danny hugging him close. "Sounds great. I don't want either of you to be unhappy or less than comfortable around each other or me, so this should be helpful for everyone. And I may have a few things to say that surprise the two of you, some suggestions to help, and well, a secret to reveal." I let Danny go and hugged Mark. He smiled at me and wrapped an arm around my waist after i let go, encouraging me to be brave.

His words also helped. "Hey, [y/n], listen. Whatever you have to say we can handle together. I'm sure it's nothing too scary. It's not likely to change our minds about you. I mean, it's not like you are going to reveal you were a mass murderer in your past and now you are afraid of the past. We know you. You're sweet, kind, caring, and an amazing woman with a lot of strength, even if you are shy as hell. We know what were getting into. You don't have to be scared to tell us anything."

I blushed deeply. "I'm not, exactly. More like embarrassed. I just know it's going to be an awkward conversation, but it can wait until we get to that part of the discussion. I promise, I'll tell you." I looked at my hands, feeling incredibly shy again. "I haven't really told anyone except Suzy, ever. I didn't actually mean to tell her either. I'm not exactly ashamed of things, but um... ...Yeah, like I said, things are going to be awkward later. But let's focus on that later. For now, let's just start talking about how this relationship is going to work. You guys said you talked about it earlier and had some ideas, right? I'm listening." I nervously picked my tea back up and sipped it, thinking furiously, trying to figure out how to explain how I had gotten to be this old and never had a serious past relationship, or even for that matter a male friend who I had felt secure enough around to lose my virginity to at any point in the past. I had given (and received, for that matter) a few blowjobs in college, but mostly I was just inexperienced. I hoped both men would be understanding, and not be too surprised or get upset. My previous boyfriend had actually stated it was a deal-breaker, ending things on the spot when I told him, feeling like I must be secretly religious or something from what he had shouted as he left. I never did quite understand it, and it hadn't helped with my shyness around men, to put it mildly. Men seemed to always react funnily to finding out a woman was a virgin after a certain age, either running away or offering to immediately take care of it for them, at least in my own, and several of my friends who had started college the same way, experience. Being shy only amplified the problem, which is how I had ended up here in the first place. i could feel my thoughts spinning without going anywhere, so i forced myself to take a few deep breaths and hoped I just looked a little unsure about what was going to be said, not terrified and so nervous I was afraid I was going to throw up. 

Mark pulled me into a hug. "Babe, calm down. I don't know if you are just nervous about how this is going to go, or if something else if bugging you, but you look terrified and upset. Don't worry. Dan and I already talked about a lot of things, at least as far as the two of us, and we have an understanding for the moment. No one is going to pressure you or do anything to make anyone else feel uncomfortable, at least not on purpose. We're both fine with you being with both of us." I lifted my cin and and looked me in the eyes. "Is that what has you so on edge? If you weren't drinking a calming tea, I'd say no more caffeine for the day, but I saw you make mint tea."

I smiled and looked at my tea cup. "That shows how much you know. It's mint tea, yes, but with a mix of green and white tea leaves as well. It still has a little caffeine, but not much. And taking away my tea wouldn't help. I'm just a little, um, unsure how the two of you are going to react to something. But let's deal with figuring out where all of us stand, relationship-wise, first. So what did the two of you come up with?"

Dan grinned. "You can't avoid whatever it is forever, you know. You have to tell us eventually. It's not like either of us is going to go screaming from the room."

I blushed and flinched when he said that, but found some humor in it as well. "You might. My last boyfriend actually did that. He was cursing, screaming, and ranting as he left. I heard him all the way down the block as he left, even of what he was saying was gibberish. Hopefully, the two of you will handle it better than that."

Mark whistled softly. "Damn. Now I'm curious. Just what the hell is this secret? Did you used to be a stripper? Pole-dancer? A madam in a brothel, run by your crazy uncle?" He chuckled at his own train of thought. "I'm sure it's not that bad. We're both pretty open-minded dudes, you know? So just tell us already. Then we can get back to this relationship discussion."

Dan cut in. "Yeah. I'm dying of curiosity over here now. You don't want to be responsible for the death of two YouTube sensations, now do you, [y/n]? How ever would you explain it?"

I rolled my eyes at the dramatics. "Yeesh. Actually, I would just smile mysteriously and say that you died of curiosity over my past. My channel would get skyrocket. People would be calling me day and night trying to find out all about me. I'd hole up and turn hermit. Then Suzy would come over and drag me out to go with her to the doctor, or Arin would need a favor, or Holly would want to cosplay." I smirked a little. "So basically, I'd have a temporary bump in my channel numbers on YouTube and get to live quietly for a while until someone dragged me back out again. The only thing different than now other than that would be how much I missed the two of you. That might break me though."

Both men grinned and hugged me. I smiled at them both as well. Dan leaned forward again after he left me go from the hug and gently kissed me. "You're awesome. Just had to tell you. And I love the fact that you thought all that out in your head that fast."

I laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I can tell stories. My brothers and cousins always used to come to me for stories when we were young, tossing a basic idea to me and asking me to tell them a story about that. I didn't know until I was older that a lot of people can't do that. I wish I could do that with animations, but I haven't been able to."

Mark smiled at me again. "Well, that's still an awesome talent. Now stop changing the subject and just tell us your secret already!"

I blushed. "Sorry. I got sidetracked. Um, it's really embarrassing. I mean, um... ...yeah. Okay. I guess I'm ready." I looked up into two curious faces and nearly lost my nerve. I could feel my face getting redder as my blush deepened. I opened my mouth and a strange creak emerged in place of my voice. I closed my mouth, more embarrassed and swallowed before trying again. I took a sip of tea and tried to calm down. I few deep breaths and tried again. "Uh, let me try that again. Um. Okay, here goes nothing. So you guys both know me pretty well by now, right? And you know how shy I am?" They both nodded, smiling encouragingly at me. "Well, um, it's made dating a real, uh, challenge. I've never really had a serious boyfriend. I mean, I've only dated five guys, ever, before you both." I sighed and looked down at my hands, fidgeting, too nervous to continue for a minute.

Danny lifted my chin with gentle fingers. "Babe? It's okay. We already knew that. You told us, remember? We didn't mind that you haven't dated much." He smiled a little brighter. "Actually, it made me really happy. Not that you were alone. I can't exactly explain."

Mark nodded, catching my eye. I blushed again. "Yeah, well, that's not the secret part. The secret is, well, because I never dated at all until college and only a few guys then and no one at all really since, um, I haven't..." I blushed and looked down again, unable to look at either of them for a few seconds. Neither of them said anything, so I peeked back up. They were just waiting for me to continue, clearly not getting the picture. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Um, I've never... ... _been_ with anyone." I felt my blush burning hotter and hotter and started to wonder how my hair hadn't just burst into flames yet. I hid my face on my hands and waited for a reaction.

Mark's sudden bark of laughter was the last thing I expected and my head snapped up like it was on a spring. He looked at me, still laughing a little, but quickly pulled himself together. "Babe, are you trying to tell us you're a virgin?" My blush, which had started to recede, flared back up my cheeks, making me burn with embarrassment. I nodded, still fidgeting and nervous. Mark just grinned. "And some idiot thought that was a bad thing? Sweetheart, we love you. I'm a little surprised that you've never had sex, but it's not that big a deal to me, one way or another, as long as you are healthy." He shook his head, still looking amused. "I still can't believe that's what you were so afraid to tell us. I thought it was going to be something earth-shattering or traumatic from your past, like you'd been abused or something."

I blushed again, but not as hard. "No. Just the never having been with anyone thing. My last boyfriend literally took off screaming and running though as soon as I told him, which is why I was nervous. I mean, I love both of you, so it would have been even more traumatic than that was, and it was pretty bad."

Dan reached over and hugged me again, almost pulling me into his lap. "Babe, we can definitely handle this. I don't think now is the time. Later though. And thank you for trusting us. This can't have been an easy thing to worry about."

I shook my head. "I've been afraid to say anything. I haven't been sure if either of you were trying to send me any signals about it either, mostly because I really don't know what I'm doing. I don't want to pressure either of you or push you away either. And before you ask, it's not because of religious reasons, waiting for marriage, saving myself, or whatever other crappy excuses people use. For me, it was just a matter of never having the right guy in my life." I smiled shyly at the two of them. "Now I have two right guys. Maybe things can change."

They both grinned at me. The Danny raised an eyebrow at me. "You make an awful lot of sexual innuendos and jokes for a virgin, [y/n]."

I laughed, wiggling my eyebrows at him. "Hey, I have two brothers and have always hung out with guys. It comes with the territory. I could either be offended by all of it, or make the ass, tit, and dick jokes along with them. Besides, I am familiar with the mechanics and principles even if I lack the actual experience."

Now it was Mark's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Hmm. And how does one acquire such knowledge?"

I laughed yet again, then forced myself to pull a straight face. "Research. Hours and hours of research. Oh, and overly demonstrative college friends and roommates." I grinned again. "Really, Mark? How did you think. I'm inquisitive by nature and don't just let things go. I even took a few anatomy and physiology courses in college, thinking I might want to go into biomedical engineering. It was okay, but I preferred computer, mechanical, and aerospace engineering, so I double majored in Computer Animation and Design and Information Technology. I technically have two bachelor's degrees. One's a BA (Bachelor's of Arts) and one's a Bachelor's Degree of Technology and Engineering. They were granted at the same time to me, through two separate colleges in the same town. I could do them both because there was a lot over overlap, but also because I took 24 credit hour semesters."

Mark's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? You considered biomedical engineering? You know that's what I almost got a degree in, right?" I nodded, smiling softly. "Wow."

I grinned again as a sudden thought came to the front of my brain, making me duck my head. Dan noticed and looked at me curiously now. I bit my cheek to keep from laughing. "I just realized Mark seems to have skipped over the rest of what I said. About actually being an engineer, and how many classes I took."

Dan started laughing as Mark flushed and looked at me, sticking out his tongue. I giggled. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone seems to love the fact that I infrequently lament my lack of a college degree. Rub a little more salt in the wound, why don't you?"

I smiled and leaned forward, taking Mark's face in my hands and kissing him gently, wiping the fake pout off his face entirely before letting him go. "I wasn't trying to make fun of you, Mark. I was just pointing out what you skimmed over. Actually, my minors in astrophysics and aerospace engineering are probably more impressive, but I don't talk much about that, except a few times to Brian, when he brought up something about space at work or physics. It's fun to talk to someone who knows about my interests. He knows a lot more about theoretical physics than I do, but then again, I'm not surprised, since that's what he taught at the university." 

Dan looked at me and shook his head. "Holy crap woman. I had no idea you were that brainy. Brian never mentioned talking about science with anybody."

I laughed. "Did you ask him? Or have you ever asked about science in front of him? I'm not trying to say you're dumb Danny, but Brian may think you aren't interested or bored by that kind if discussion. Besides, I don't think Brian usually talks about science stuff at work much anyway. I just was reading the news on a break and saw an article that I thought he might be interested in and asked him a little more about the subject one day. Now, when we both have breaks, we sit and talk about the latest breakthroughs or particularly interesting theories that we see. Sometimes anyway. Other times we talk about your music, his family, video games, or whatever. Brian's a good friend."

Mark raised his eyebrows at me. "Really? You talk science on your breaks? What, do you do scientific calculations for fun in your spare time?"

I smirked and shook my head. "No. I program and design a video game, create animations, and do all the other things I have to get done or like to do that you already know about. Why is this a bigger deal to you then what I told you earlier, about never having had sex?"

Dan snorted with laughter and started giggling as Mark blushed. I crossed my arms, waiting for an answer. Finally, Mark caught my eye and looked sheepish. "Um, you just surprised me is all. I'm sorry." I sighed and nodded. "Can we go back to the original discussion we had planned for tonight now babe? You know, the one Dan and I worked out for our relationship with you?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes please. What did the two of you decide would work?" I grabbed my drink and shifted slightly. My stomach rumbled, making me blush a little. "Actually, hang on just a second. I need to go grab a snack. That one cookie I grabbed wasn't enough to make up for the small and late lunch I had. I'll be right back." I stepped into the kitchen and decided to make a small bag of popcorn. I poked my head back out into the living room. "Do either of you want anything? I'm making some popcorn for myself. After we have our discussion I can either call in a takeout order or make something homemade for dinner."

Dan and Mark both passed on the offer of a snack and started talking about what they wanted to do for dinner to each other. I hummed something to myself while I waited for the popcorn to finish, grateful I had decided to make up these small, pre-portioned bags to put in the microwave. The unpopped popcorn was far less expensive to buy in bulk and a simple brown paper bag, sprayed with cooking spray, was perfect to store and pop the corn later, especially if I sealed it with some regular tape, a simple and cheap way to make the popcorn healthier. I added a few spritzes of liquid margarine or butter, a pinch of sea salt or seasoned salt and a few cracks of black pepper while it was still hot, and boom, a customized snack. I grabbed the bag as soon as the kernels stopped popping, dumped the popcorn in a bowl, added my pepper, spicy salt, and butter, and headed back into the living room, snagging my drink and sitting in the armchair across from the guys so I could see both of the at the same time as we talked. I shifted around, getting comfortable, finally settling on sitting tailor style on the cushion, popcorn bowl in my lap resting in the hollow between my knees by my ankles. I smiled and grabbed a small handful of the snack and gestured for them to start, munching as quietly as I could. Mark grinned. "All set?" I nodded. "Okay, good. Dan and I talked most of the day today. Arin's injury kind of threw Dan's filming schedule out the window, so he was just chilling mostly, and I didn't have much to do today, which is why I was hanging out at the grump space in the first place. My editing team is ahead by a few days and I gave them the day off. Anyway, we talked and got a lot of things figured out, at least between the two of us."

I nodded again, swallowing the mouthful of food. "Yeah, you've both said that. What did you work out?"

Mark blushed. "Well, As much as I like Danny, I'm not totally sure I'm ready to date him, or any man. So, for now at least, we are both just going to be seeing you. But only you. We're all going to be exclusive, with each other. Danny and I know you are seeing both of us. There won't be any secrets. And maybe, well, okay, probably, we are hoping to go on some dates, as a group, all three of us."

Dan spoke up. "I really do like Mark. I'm happy to be his friend, but right now that's all I see him as. That could easily change though, so he and I are going to keep an open mind and reassess this part of the relationship as needed. I mean, he is a sexy man."

I grinned. "You both are. You're gorgeous. That's part of why I'm so surprised you both are into me. I mean, I'm not exactly Quasimodo, but I'm hardly supermodel material either."

Mark shook his head. "Babe, you're gorgeous, kind, funny, smart, a great cook, and amazing. You're shy, yes, but we've both gotten to know you and you don't seem shy around us anymore, which is how we've gotten to see how incredible you really are. Really, I noticed how attractive you are the first time we met, especially your smile. Your smile lights up the world and just takes my breath away. And your eyes are so gorgeous, it's easy to get lost in them. But your personality just sparkles and glows, drawing everyone you care about in and warming us up." He smiled a soft, almost dreamy smile. "I really, really love how protective you are of your friends too. And thoughtful. I noticed you always take other people's choices and tastes into consideration when you offer food or activities for the group, remembering Holly's food restrictions better than the rest of us, who have all known her a lot longer. She's noticed too, and stopped asking if what you offer has anything she can't eat, did you know?"

I smiled, a little embarrassed, and nodded. Danny was smiling too. "Yeah. She asks everyone else, except Ross. Even Suzy." I blushed faintly, not realizing how much trust she had been showing me until they pointed it out. Danny continued. "Like Mark was saying. You are wonderful and we feel truly lucky to have you in our lives. The fact that you don't seem to know how great you are is a little sad. And babe, to us, you _are_ supermodel beautiful. Add in the super smarts, and it just blows my mind. You have so many talents, and you share more of them with us everyday. I feel lucky every single time you come near me or agree to talk to me, let alone kiss you, hug you, or even just hold your hand. Please believe us when we say, you are important to us and don't want to hear you put yourself down anymore. We love you baby."

I smiled faintly at the two of them, feeling a little overwhelmed by their words. They just watched me for a minute, clearly seeing me taking in everything they were saying and trying to process my emotions. After it looked like I had a better handle, and I felt like I was more in control, I nodded a small nod of the head. "Okay. I get what you mean, and I'll try to do better. I would hate for either of you to do what I've been guilty of here, so I think I understand. It's just going to be a little tough to change a habit I've had since middle school. I promise to try, for the two of you, though. Please be patient if I slip up."

Mark came over to my chair and grabbed my hand, squatting down in front of me. "Sweetheart, we'll be here for you. And I'm sorry to hear you have been putting yourself down that long. What happened?"

I looked into Mark's worried face and sighed. "I was an overweight, over-tall, geek girl with very high grades who took apart computers for fun and practically lived in a library. What do you think happened? I was bullied. But I got through it with minimal damage and moved on. One of the ways I found to prevent the bullying was to pick on part of myself before the bullies could. It hurt less and they lost a target. The when I hit the next growth spurt and shot up like a weed, I lost a bunch of weight, so they couldn't keep picking on me for that, especially when I started working out. I guess it made me more shy and less confident in myself though. I just never realized it. And I've been shy for as long as I can remember."

Mark squeezed my hand supportively and nodded a little sadly. "Well, you're awesome and everyone who knows you agrees." Mark smiled at me again. "Actually, I have a bunch of friends who want to meet you, even just over Skype. And my editing team." 

I smiled a half-smile and nodded. "Okay. But maybe not all of them at once. I mean, your editing team all at once is fine, but maybe not all your Skype friends at the same time." I bit my lip, thinking. "Unless... Listen, are any of them coming to visit you soon, or going to a convention? I might be able to met them at something like that. Face to face is always easier for me, even if I do tend to try to hide. But let's worry about that another time. I still need to know more of what the two of you have arranged."

Mark grinned, stood up and kissed me, then settled back on the couch next to Dan, sitting close to him, but not uncomfortably close. "Yeah, thanks for keeping us on track. So, basically, most of what we hammered out today was just what we were comfortable with, between us and with you and both of us. We still need to figure out what all three of us are comfortable with, as far as intimacy levels."

I blushed and looked down, but Dan spoke up. "Not just sex, babe. Also thinks like kissing, cuddling, public displays of affection, hell even just holding hands. That's most of what Mark and I talked about today. For example, we are both fine holding each others hands in public, hugging, and maybe the occasional kiss between us in private right now, but nothing more, probably. I mean, we might cuddle if we feel the need, but that would be on a case by case basis, not everyday. We're both going to try not to get too jealous if we see you with the other one, but it might happen, despite our efforts. We agreed to talk if that started to happen, rather than let things build up and cause bigger problems later. Does all that sound reasonable to you? And what levels of public displays are you going to be okay with? Do you know?"

I looked back up. "Um, that sounds really smart. And I'm not sure. I mean, definitely hand holding and public hugs. Maybe kissing? Depending on the type of kiss and where we are? I don't want to make other people uncomfortable in public either. In private, everything, up to and including sex. Not this moment obviously, but soon. I'm ready. Hell, I have been practically since I meet the two of you. You guys will just have to take the lead on that one. Like i said, I've got no practical knowledge, just theory."

Mark grinned at me again. "I still am curious about that research."

I laughed and raised an eyebrow, then winked. "Let's just say, I've watched a few adult films in my time. I had one friend in college who actually made me sit and watch them with her every week, so she could get ideas and inspiration. She told me later she was hoping I would get 'inspired' enough to go out and find someone as well. Didn't work, but i feel like I learned a lot about the mechanics of it all, especially since some of the movies weren't just porn, they were instructional videos. I have no idea where she found those, but wow, they were actually fairly helpful." I grinned at the slightly shocked and scandalized looks on both Dan's and Mark's faces. I giggled as well. "Oh, and just so both of you know, just because I've never done the deed with anyone else, doesn't me I haven't done some self-exploration. I kind of know some of the things I like, I think. But we're getting off topic again."

Dan and Mark both looked at each other, blank expressions of shock on their faces, but a strong hint of lust trying to take over both of the as well. I bit back further giggles as I watched both of them squirm a little in their seats, trying to relieve what looked from here like suddenly over-tight pants. It made me oddly proud to see, making me mentally smack myself into line. Behave girl. You need to focus on this discussion. I mentally steeled myself and focused again. Danny swallowed and managed to speak first. "Wow. Um, okay. So that's a thing that we did not know before now. So sex is not off the table. Okay."

I nodded, still mentally smirking. "Yeah, definitely not. Now, I have a few questions. Are the two of you going to want to leave some clothes here, so when you inevitably stay over you can avoid embarrassment, or is that too much? I'm not trying to push you, I just need to know if I have to make room in my dressers and closet for some things for you. I'm cool either way."

Mark grinned at me. "So it seems. I'd love to leave a few things here, just in case. I know I live close by, but I'd rather avoid the walk of shame if I stay longer than I expected sometimes." 

I nodded and looked at Danny, curious to see his response. He grinned. "Whatever you want babe. I live just a few floors away, but I'd love to leave some things here so I don't have to go that far if I don't have to all the time. I'm not saying we should move in together at this stage, but sometimes I get lazy and would far rather just cuddle or sleep in and knowing I had things here if that happens would be awesome. You are both welcome to leave stuff at my place too."

I smiled. "Good. I'll probably leave a few tee shirts, at least one pair of jeans, and some shorts then, just in case. And both of you are going to come with me to get copies of my key tomorrow, or if we go out for food, tonight. I want you both to feel at home here, so you are both going to have an open invitation to come by any time. Hell, I trust you both enough to tell you everything, so of course I'm going to trust you enough to give you spare keys to get in. Also, this way when I lock myself out, one of you can rescue me." 

They both grinned and we settled in to discuss the rest of the details of the relationship. At nearly seven thirty Dan groaned. I raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "I'm starving all of the sudden. Let's take a dinner break and pick this back up after we eat." 

I nodded and stood up. "What do the two fo you want to do for dinner? Takeout? Or do you want me to cook for you?"

Mark and Dan looked at each other and in unison announced their decision. "Let's go out to eat." 

I grinned. "Well, alright then. Let me grab my purse, and make sure I have my keys, wallet, and cellphone, then we can go. What sounds good?"

Mark grinned. "Well, if there were one close, I'd say Cracker Barrel, but the closest one is over an hour away, so I don't know, Cheesecake Factory? Applebee's?"

Danny nodded. "Wherever you want guys. I'm easy."

I thought for a minute. "Well, my choices would be Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, or Ruby Tuesday, I think. I'm kind of in the mood for either tex-mex or a steak."

They both nodded. "As the lady wishes. Chili's sounds like good choice. Dan?"

Danny smiled. "Sure thing. Now, who's driving?"

I held up my keys. "Me. You two can just relax."

Mark grinned. "Fine. But I want to stop by my apartment and check on Chica real quick. Babe, do you want to drop off any clothes at my place since we'l be there anyway? You are certainly welcome to." I smiled and nodded, heading back to the bedroom. I grabbed a black skirt, two pairs of denim shorts, a pair of dark blue jeans, five tee shirts, a handful of underwear and bras, and two pairs of sandals, putting them in a bag and adding a small bottle of shampoo as well as another of body wash. I did the same thing a second time, packing a sundress, a pair of sneakers, a pair of flip flops, some underwear and bras, two pair of jeans, a few pairs of shorts, three tee shirts, and three tank tops in the second bag, along side the travel bottles of shampoo and body wash. I grabbed two spare travel deodorants and stuck them in the bags, picked them up and headed for the front door where both men were waiting, looking at their phones. I smiled at them and gestured for them to step out the door, and we headed out. I asked Danny to drop off one of the bags in his apartment on the way downstairs, making him smile. He rushed off ahead of us and rejoined us just a minute or two later, before we could even get to his apartment. We continued down to the parking lot and made our way to my car. I got in, buckling in while Dan snagged the front seat next to me and Mark climbed in directly behind me. Dan put some music on while I drove. We stopped by Mark's apartment and headed in, Mark slightly ahead of us, calling out for Chica. Chica came running up and barked once at Dan and I, then waited by Mark's side.Mark petted her vigorously. "Good girl Chica. Who's a good girl? It's you, yes it is. Chica-bica is a good girl." I smiled at Mark's clear love for his dog. After a few seconds, Mark brought Chica over to formally introduce me to her. I bent down and petted her, letting her sniff my hand. She immediately wagged her tail and started licking my hand. Dan came over and petted her as well, having been around her a few times before. Chica rolled over, loving the attention, and I couldn't help giving her a belly rub, making her whole body wag. Mark grinned at me. "Well, it's official. Chica's in love with you. You found her magic petting spot that just makes her your friend for life. All you need to do now is feed her once and you'll never be rid of her."

I laughed. "Who said I want to get away? I like her. I love her Daddy though, so it's a good thing she's a cutie too." Mark shivered slightly at my words and blushed. I turned back to Chica, giving her a few more tummy rubs. She whined slightly when I stopped, making me chuckle. Mark just rolled his eyes and disappeared with my bag of clothes. We heard him come back a minute later with two bowls for Chica, one of water, and one of dog food. He set the down gently on the floor by her doggie bed, on some newspapers laid out for her. She instantly headed over and started drinking noisily and messily. 

Mark turned back to us and gestured us out the door. "Shall we?" We nodded and as I headed out the door, a though occurred to me. I handed my keys over to Mark and asked him to drive as I called Suzy up.

She picked up on the second ring. "Hey Suzy, how are you doing, sweetie? And how's Arin holding up?"

I could practically hear her smile at me through the phone. "We're doing fine. We were just trying to figure out what to do about dinner tonight. I don't feel like cooking, and Arin wants to celebrate. What are you up to?"

"Oh, just dinner with two fabulously handsome men at Chili's. Actually, I was calling to see if you wanted to meet us there. I thought it might be fun."

"Ooh, that sounds amazing! We'll be there as soon as I can get Arin out to the car. See you soon. And thanks for thinking of us [y/n]!" She hung up. 

I leaned forward from my seat in the back of the car. "So Suzy and Arin are going to meet us at the restaurant. I hope you two don't mind. I just feel like celebrating our relationship and wanted them to be here too."

Dan smiled. "Hey, if you're happy, I'm happy babe. Besides, you managed to make sure Arin got checked out today and wasn't all pissy all day, despite his injured foot. How the hell did you manage that anyway? Suzy and Arin just refused to tell anyone and smiled whenever we asked, blaming you. What did you do?"

I grinned hugely. "Really? Wow, that's awesome. But it's not for me to tell. You'll find out soon enough I think. In fact, I suspect you might find out tonight."

Mark smiled at me, glancing at me but mostly paying attention to the road. "Sweetheart, you look so happy right now. I'm not going to lie, it just takes my breath away in the best way."

I smiled happily at him and gently kissed his cheek, then settling back in my seat. "Thanks Mark. And thanks for driving so I could call and check on them. I was a little afraid Suzy was going to be going crazy from Arin being whiny, but she seemed okay. Actually, they were trying to figure out what to do about food too, so my suggestion to join us was perfect." Dan smiled at me, watching me closely. I suddenly leaned forward again and kissed him, taking him by surprise. "I'm just so happy right now! I love you both and everything is wonderful."

Danny smiled brighter. "It is when you're around, for me anyway. Amazing and wonderful just like you. I love you too."

Mark nodded. "I love you too babe." With that, we all settled in for the rest of the drive, quietly just soaking in the love and happiness we were all sharing in my car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, right now I am going to try for updates on all my stories about once every three or four weeks, so at least once a month everything will get an update. I hate going this slow, but between writing really long chapters (hello 5,000 to 10,000 or even 15,000 words or longer!) chapters and health issues, I have to slow down. Plus, I'm working on a secret collaborative project that's still in the early stages but should be really fun and exciting when it finally comes out. It's going to be a little different from my other stuff, written from different viewpoints with chapters that are slightly redundant because they are told by two (or three) different characters across different stories in the series, posted on two accounts (mine and the other person I'm writing with) separately, under a shared series tag. But more on that closer to when we will be ready to release something. Right now, we're still hammering out the story and want to have everything all written, or nearly so, before we start publishing it.


	13. Suppertime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner out is a blast, then it's time to pick up the discussion at home again.

We got to the restaurant less than five minutes ahead of Suzy and Arin. Mark had gone inside to get us all a table, but when we heard it would be at least a fifteen minute wait, Danny and I had decided to wait outside to see if Arin needed any help getting out of the car and inside to the table. I spotted them as soon as Suzy pulled the car into the lot and waved Danny over. We watched them park and headed over, smiling. Suzy grinned at us. Arin was laying across the back, his foot propped up on the seat, his butt almost off the bench. I raised an eyebrow when I saw him. "Arin, how the hell did you end up sitting like that? I can't imagine it's very comfortable..."

Arin looked embarrassed. "Um, can you just help me out? I was up on the seat, but Suzy went around a curve and I bounced funny and fell off the seat. Now I'm stuck like this."

Danny started laughing softly. "Man, you should see your face dude." I swatted his shoulder. Dan tried to settle down as I walked around the car to open the door behind Arin's back. Arin started to fall out of that side, but I caught him and lifted him onto his feet, holding him up while Suzy got his crutches. Dan's eyes were huge. "Holy shit. How the hell are you holding him up? You just, like, lifted him up..."

Arin looked over at Dan with a small smirk, mixed with embarrassment. "Yeah. She actually lifted me all the way up and carried me earlier today."

Mark had come over to join us and whistled. I blushed. Suzy giggled. "She's handy to have around. Plus, when Arin had to do the three legged walk out to the car with her earlier, she's basically the same height he is, so it made things a lot easier for him. And her, I think. She did have to physically pick him up several times though. It surprised us both, that she could."

I blushed a little harder. "Um, guys, can we just let this go? I mean, Suzy can you just give Arin the crutches and let's go inside and wait." I blew out a huge sigh. "And I did mention I was strong. I don't really understand why all of you are so surprised now."

Mark came over and kissed my cheek, gently. "Babe, knowing in our heads was one thing. Seeing a practical demonstration of your strength? Something completely different. It just took me by surprise, that's all. Like when you suddenly stand up straight instead of your usual slouching."

I blushed a little. "I'm not that bad, am I? But I guess I understand what you mean." I blew out a frustrated sigh as I helped Arin get the crutches adjusted so he could get himself inside. I walked behind him, ready to spot him in case he fell, but he made it through the doors without incident, settling into a bench seat next to Suzy, who he immediately leaned into with a smile. I grinned at the two of them as they settled in to wait.

Danny commented as he watched. "Okay, what the fuck's going on here? Arin, after all the shit this morning, most of the office was afraid you'd be a total bear all day, but you've actually been in a really good mood. And you and Suzy just keep saying it's [y/n]'s fault. She wouldn't tell us anything either, claiming it wasn't her secret to tell. What's the secret? What's going on?"

Suzy and I traded looks and broke down giggling. Arin blushed a little and ducked his head. "Okay, I can see why you might all be thinking that. Um, Suze? Should we tell them?"

Suzy smiled. "We might as well. The only one in their group who won't bug us about it already knows. [Y/N] helped us figure all this out, after all." Arin nodded and gestured for Suzy to shate the news. She shook her head and leaned into Arin's side. "Nope. You wanted to share the news, so you can tell them. I just want to relax with my husband and enjoy an excellent meal that I don't have to cook or clean up afterwards. The conversation will be a nice bonus too."

Arin smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Okay, Suzy Q. Whatever you want." Arin looked at Mark and Danny. "Uh, guys, I want to wait to tell you everything until we get to a table, okay? I mean, I can tell you a fast version, but I want the two of you to know exactly what happened last night, this morning, and, well, why Suzy went to see [Y/N] in the first place. Do you want me to just give you the fast version now? Or do you mind waiting until we have gotten to the table and ordered?"

Mark crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "I want to know details, so I guess I'm okay with waiting."

Danny looked at Arin, giving him a long stare. "I guess I can wait too, but you better not be messing with me, man. I will kick your ass from here to the office if you do."

Arin held up a hand. "Honest to God. I'm not going to mess with you. I'm just really happy." He looked at Suzy, a small tight smile on his face. "We both are."

Danny nodded and sat down next to me. I leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Hey, don't be grouchy Dan. It's something good, I promise. Just remember Arin and Suzy just found out too. And Arin had kind of a rough morning." I rested my head on Danny's shoulder. "Speaking of which, how's your head Arin? Still feeling hung over? And your foot?"

Arin grinned. "I'm okay, just feeling stupid about the whole damn situation. Bouncing off the back seat like I did certainly didn't help any. And my foot is pretty sore, but I'll live. The doctors said it might hurt a little for a day or two, especially where the deeper cuts were. I still can't believe I was that fucking stupid." He shook his head. Suzy put a hand on his leg, just above the cast. They shared a look, pain and forgiveness, sorrow and comfort, a wordless conversation with a lot of subtle undertones and understanding flowing between them. I giggled a little, reading more of what they were communicating than either of them would guess. Arin looked over at me. "Enough sad shit. What were the three of you up to tonight, if it's safe to ask? And were you all hanging out together, or did you have to call each other and meet here?"

I blushed. "The guys and I were at my apartment talking, Arin. We all came back there after we left the office. We've been talking, seriously, about things between the three of us, and how they are going to work." I fidgeted a little, feeling nervous about sharing this, but trusting Arin and Suzy completely. Mark noticed my nerves and sat down on my other side, picking one of my hands up in his and rubbing a soothing little circle in the back of it with his thumb. Danny wrapped an arm around me too, keeping me in place, still leaned against him. 

Arin raised an eyebrow. "It looks like neither of them want to give you up."

Danny nodded, firmly. "Yeah man, she's special. Mark and I have been talking about this all day. We think we have a pretty good understanding between us. We're going to try to both keep seeing her and not get jealous, if we can help it. It's not fair to her to try to make her feel pressured to be with only one of us when we're both okay with this solution. We both love her and would way rather be with her, even sharing her, than not be, so we've talked it out a lot. Then we brought her into the discussion and talked some more. She's smart about this kind of stuff. Plus, it is, you know, her life too."

I chuckled softly. "Yeah, but you two made the discussion a lot easier, you know. If you hadn't talked everything out so much ahead of time, it would have been a lot harder and much more confusing for me. And ultimately, I think this wouldn't have occurred to me, so I still would have had to make a decision and hurt one of you in the process. And I really didn't want to have to do that. I never want either of you hurt. Especially not over me. I want you both to be happy. Something I still find hard to believe I make you."

Mark hugged me at the same time Danny leaned in for a kiss, momentarily blocking my view of anything else that was going on around us. I just froze in place for a second, surprised, then swallowed thickly, fighting back emotions and clung to the two of them, surprised and grateful they wanted to show me how they felt in public. Danny hugged both Mark and I now, keeping us both close. "Hey, none of that shit, remember? We don't want to hear you saying bad things about yourself. Babe, we love you and you do make us happy."

He let Mark and I go at Arin's discrete cough. The waitress was here to show us all to a table. I sighed as I followed Arin, still spotting him, in case he fell or suddenly lost his footing, but we made it back to the corner booth we had been given without incident. Mark and Danny shared a look and sat down on either side of me, sandwiching me between them by simply sliding in on either side of me, around the corner. Suzy giggled and slid in next to Dan, and Arin sat down at the edge, with a chair under his foot, propping it up. We all ordered our drinks for the evening, with Danny being the only one to order alcohol, and even then he just ordered a beer. Suzy and I both ordered fruit tea and Mark ordered a lemonade. Arin ordered a soda and several appetizers to share around the table and looked at the three of us. "Hey, dinner's on me tonight, as a thank you for all the shit you did today and for putting up with my whiny ass at the office all day. No arguments, okay? Good."

Dan, Mark, and I all nodded, somewhat surprised and bemused. Everyone spent a few minutes looking over the menu before deciding what they wanted. I ended up getting steak, like I had thought I might, with rice and grilled asparagus. Danny ordered chicken and Mark ordered fajitas. Suzy and Arin ordered ribs and a burger with salads, from the meals for two section. After the food was ordered, Danny spoke up. "Okay Arin. I've been a patient man all day. What the fuck is going on? This shit got old hours ago."

Arin nodded. "Fair enough. Um, last night Barry and Ross took me out to drink. Barry was ordering the drinks, and I think they must have been really strong, or I drank a lot more than I thought. Anyway, I got completely trashed and came home drunk off my ass." He looked down. "I was a complete asshole to Suzy after that, yelling at her for no good reason, threatening her, and I even kicked a hole in the damn wall of our living room. My shoe was still there this morning. That's how I fucked up my ankle and leg, by the way. Anyway, I passed out on the couch after Suz locked herself back in the bedroom. That's all I know until suddenly this morning, all the light of a thousand suns was shining in my eyes and there was enough sound to wake the dead, which is kind of how I felt, when I woke up."

Suzy giggled. "Arin, we weren't that loud. And you pissed of [Y/N] pretty badly. She wasn't in the mood to put up with your crap this morning, after I went over to her house and told her about last night. Actually, let me clarify a few things. After Arin yelled, threatened me, and kicked the wall, I was scared to death. I locked myself, not only in the bedroom, but in the bathroom as well, adding a second layer of locked doors between us. I didn't sleep, because I was too worried about Arin and scared. Then when I finally ventured out, around six thirty, I couldn't hear anything in the rest of the house, and I was worried. That's when I spotted Arin on the couch and saw the hole in the wall. I grabbed my purse and keys and ran for it. [Y/N] was the only person I could think of who might be awake at that time of morning, so I headed for her apartment. She was working out, but she let me in, calmed me down, made me eat some breakfast, and we had a chat. About her feelings for the two of you, partly, and a secret she has."

I blushed. "Suzy, already told them. Actually, it was one of the things we talked about before we decided to come get dinner. I think it surprised the two of them though."

Arin looked at me, trying to figure out what was going on. "What the hell are you talking about? You have a secret? Why does everyone else get to know and not me?"

My blush intensified. "Um, I told Suzy because I wanted her opinion about it. Mark and Danny get to know because it kind of effects them."

Danny grinned. "HA! Not so fun to be kept in the dark, is it buddy?"

Arin crossed his arms and glared at Danny making me giggle. "I'll find out eventually, you know. You might as well tell me now." 

Mark snorted. "I doubt it Arin. [Y/N] keeps secrets really well. Honestly, Danny and I never would have guessed this one. And it's not like you really need to know anyway."

Arin's eyebrows shot up his face. "What the hell is it? Do you have some deep, dark secret past, like you used to be a stripper or something?"

I covered my face with a hand as the waitress brought over our drinks and the first of the appetizers. I was still blushing vividly. "Why does everyone jump to that as the first conclusion they make? Just finish telling Danny and Mark the story and your news please. I don't want to talk about this right now."

Suzy nodded and jumped in before Arin could say anything more. "Right. Anyway, we talked and after I was feeling better, she told me I needed to come home and talk to Arin. I was still worried, so she decided to drive over too. I stopped and got some tissues at the store on the way home, so she actually beat me there. She was waiting in her car when I pulled in and parked. Then she followed me in and told me to go make some coffee, to give me a chance to calm down again. My nerves were a mess and I nearly threw up, just opening the door. She opened the blinds in the living room and moved around a little, not being all that loud, but not being as quiet as she could have been. I hid in the kitchen until I heard Arin head back up the hall to the bedroom, then I made up a tray with our drinks and came back out, sitting close to her, and a little away from Arin. I didn't know what he was going to be like this morning."

Arin ducked his head, looking down. "Baby, I'm so, so sorry about that. You know I'd never do that shit on purpose. I feel like hell for doing it this time, because I got that drunk." He sighed. "Anyway, I'll spare you all the details of the bullshit we had to get through to go to the doctor, but [y/n] made us both go get checked out. She told me she was making Suzy get checked because of the stress and anxiety, but I was afraid I had actually hurt her last night without knowing it. It was killing me. Then when we were released, she had prescriptions to have filled too and I was almost sure I had. That or the stress really was that hard on her and she was having a nervous breakdown. We dropped them off and parked. Suzy told me she wanted to talk to me and climbing into the back seat of the car with me while [y/n] went inside to shop and wait for the drugs." Arin looked at Suzy now, a smile starting to form, one he was trying to hide, but couldn't. "Suzy told me she really was getting checked because she thought she might be pregnant, which the doctor confirmed. We're going to have a baby. I'm going to be a fucking dad! We're super excited." Arin pulled the hair back from his face in a nervous gesture. "So, what do you guys think? I mean, I know you probably weren't expecting to hear that, but it's why I was in such a good mood at the office today, despite the shitty start to the day."

Danny's face split in a grin. "Congratulations you two! That's fucking awesome. You two are going to be great parents."

Mark nodded. "Yeah man, that's great. I'm really happy for the two of you." Mark looked at me for a second, then back at Arin. "So that's what they kept blaming you for all day? Why?"

I giggled. "Mark, I think they were saying they were happy about knowing, not that I had anything to do with the actual baby. Suzy told me this morning she had been having stomach trouble everyday for the past five days in the morning and she thought she might be pregnant, but she was terrified. I helped her sort through the things she was afraid of and ease some of her fears, then forced her to get checked at the doctor, so she would know for sure. When the results came back as positive, she was happy and excited, not to mention more than a little relieved to know for sure. And I made sure to give Suzy and Arin space to talk while I went in the store and bought a few things for the Grump Space, like emergency supplies and Tylenol, which we were out of. I talked to Danny too, while I waited. The two of them were cuddled in my back seat by the time I came out of the pharmacy, and Arin was super excited. Then we all headed into work and I spent the majority of the day finishing the new animation I posted this afternoon. Basically, I just helped make sure Arin and Suzy were both okay and faced what was going on."

Arin nodded. "Yeah, if you hadn't been there, I doubt I would have gotten my foot checked out. I would have just laid around all day today, calling in sick, and whining, driving Suz nuts. And those cuts wouldn't have gotten treated either. Did I tell you the three you bandaged up that were deeper and needed stitches? They had to use the kind that dissolve, since they were under the cast, but the doctor commented how good whoever cleaned the cuts up and bandaged them was at that." He smiled at me. "So, good job. And you were a lot less shy at the doctor than I expected."

I nodded, a half smile on my lips. "Yeah. Suzy said the same thing earlier. I used to work as a first responder for emergency situations so I'm okay with handling medical problems. Then the rest of the day I feel like hell, trying to overcome the overwhelming wave of shyness that backlashes from forcing it back to handle the immediate problem. I'm a little surprised I didn't seem to have an issue with it today. Not that I'm complaining about it. I'm actually grateful. But usually I have to go hide from everyone, and everything, until I can mentally recover."

Dan grinned at me. "Maybe the fact that you went from the doctor directly to a comfortable environment with people you know well and like helped."

I shook my head, but looked thoughtful. "I doubt it. I mean, I've done that in the past. Um..." I blushed. "Actually, maybe your kiss helped. You distracted me and definitely didn't let me think about what had been going on all morning with that. Then when Mark saw me later he kissed me too, and I spent a lot of time today, when I wasn't focused directly on work, thinking about what I was going to tell the two of you, how I was going to handle things in my personal life. You both kept knocking me off balance, keeping me kind of confused today."

Mark grinned at me. "We didn't mean to confuse or overwhelm you babe. We just decided it wasn't fair to you to put you in the position we realized we had been. So we both had time today to talk things out, and we did. Now, we have this agreement."

Arin looked at the three of us, looking perplexed. "And what the hell is that? You mentioned earlier you were both going to keep seeing her, right?"

I looked down, blushing again. Danny laughed. "Chill out Arin. Man, you're getting awfully grumpy this evening. Eat some food. Mark and I decided to see if [y/n] would agree to a polyamorous relationship with the two of us. She did. We're both going to keep seeing her, exclusively, and we know about the other, so no one is lying to anybody or anything. We're not actually dating each other, at least not right now." 

Suzy smiled brightly, then winked at me. "Not right now, huh. Does that mean maybe in the future?"

Both men ducked their heads. I giggled. "They told me maybe. I mean, they both like each other and find the other one sexy, but neither one is quite ready to date men. But either way, I get them both." I smiled at them, one at a time.

Suzy smiled and nodded. "Good. All three of you look happy. I want to see all my friends as happy as Arin and I are now. Not that everyone needs to be pregnant or anything, just happy." I started giggled and Suzy's smile widened to a grin. "Okay, okay. I know why you're amused. You're obviously not pregnant."

Arin looked confused now. "How do you know that Suz? You say that like it's impossible. What do you know that I don't? Is this back to her secret again?"

I blushed and looked at Arin. "Um, yeah. Would you just be satisfied if I told you it was impossible for me to be pregnant at this point? Please?"

Arin raised his eyebrows. "Wait. You mean you and Danny or you and Mark haven't had sex yet?" I blushed and looked down, nodding. 

Mark wrapped his arms around me. "Babe, it's okay. We already talked about this."

I looked at him. "I know. I just..." I paused collecting my thoughts, then looked at Arin. "Okay, Arin, listen. You have to promise not to tease me about this, okay? I will make your life hell if you do, even once. Danny, Mark, and I haven't had sex. In fact, I've _never_ had sex, with anyone. That's my secret." I looked down again, tracing an invisible pattern on the table with a fingernail out of nervousness. 

Arin blinked. "Whoa. That was not what I thought your secret was going to be. It kind of makes sense though, with how shy you are and how little you said you've dated. So are you going to make the two of them wait long? And who are you going first with?"

I blushed brighter. "Arin! That's none of your goddamn business. I swear to god, I can make you very uncomfortable, very fast, if you don't back off. I could 'accidentally' mention some of the shit you've pulled since I've known you, on the air or edit you to say just about anything, either in an animation, or one of the videos on the channel. It wouldn't even be hard. We have thousands of hours of you and Danny talking. I can very seamlessly clip you to say anything I want. I don't even have to worry about syncing a face cam to what you say. So don't be a dick."

Mark and Danny started to laugh, as Arin suddenly looked flustered and a little panicked. Suzy grinned at me. "Guess I don't need to tell him to behave after all. Wow, that's devious. I love it."

I chuckled. Arin blinked and blushed. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Jeez. You don't need to blackmail me."

I looked at him. "But somehow, I think I do. Just behave and you'll be safe enough. I'm not going to torment you for no reason. Now, eat your dinner." Our food had just come out and the waitress was setting our plates down. I smiled my thanks at her as she finished up and left, making her blink, and for some reason blush slightly. She smiled back, then rushed off. Danny and Mark both grinned at me. I raised an eyebrow at them. "What?"

"Babe, she was into you. Did you see the way she looked at you and blushed when you smiled at her?" Danny kissed me gently. "It was adorable. And you didn't seem to even notice. Which was even more cute." 

Mark grinned at me too, nodding. "Yeah. You were completely oblivious. Not that she was all that in your face with her flirting, mostly. But you just completely missed it. I mean, hell, she even reached all the way across the table, standing directly in front of you, so you would see her boobs. And she kept touching your shoulder when she was standing behind the booth. And staring at you when she was taking all our orders, smiling a little extra whenever you looked at her."

I smiled, feeling shy. "Well, I've already got my two boyfriends here with me. I don't need anyone else added to our relationship. Or any other relationships at the moment. Besides, I don't swing that way. So no, I didn't really notice any of that. She just seemed friendly to me."

Danny laughed. "Babe, it's hilarious that you listed not being into women that way as the last reason, not the first, why you missed her flirting." I leaned into his side, shaking my head and just cuddling close as I ate my dinner. Conversation drifted around to other topics, eventually settling back on Suzy's pregnancy. We were all really happy for her and Arin, of course, and all offered to help her in any way we could. After we had all eaten our fill, Arin got the bill and paid, scooting over to the edge of the booth and carefully getting out, with some assistance from Suzy. I looked expectantly at Mark and Danny, but they just grinned at me for a few seconds. "So babe, we need to figure out where were going next. Back to your place for more talking? Or do you just want to drive us both home and head to bed for the night and let the rest of this stuff wait until another day?"

I thought for a minute. "How about we all drive back to my apartment and keep talking. I'm not particularly tired yet, and it's Friday, so none of us have to get up early for work. We can hammer out the rest of the basics of our relationship for a while, then relax together. Maybe we can watch a movie or play some games. Whatever you guys want. But we should go ahead and get out of this booth so the waitress can clean the table and other customers can get seated. Let's go guys." They both nodded and got up, going out opposite sides of the booth, allowing me to escape again. We all shuffled out to my car, picking up our earlier discussion about our relationship and what we were comfortable with as we got settled. I drove us home as we made some decisions. It was around nine o'clock by the time we got back into my apartment and settled on the couch, with me sitting between the guys again, but none of us were even a little bit tired. 

We kept talking for several hours, until Mark looked up and blinked at the time. "Whoa. It's after midnight. Danny, [Y/N], I had no idea it was this late. I should just head home now, right?"

I smiled at him, wrapping him in hug. "If you want to stay, you can. But if you need to get home, that's fine too. Whatever you decide, sweetie." I stayed close, my head resting on his chest as I yawned hugely, twice, then closed my eyes for a minute just breathing in the calm. 

Mark and Danny both chuckled quietly. "Babe, you look wiped out." I hummed a noise of agreement, not opening my eyes. Danny rested a hand on my back. "Well, we can let you get some sleep. Mark, do you want to stay and help me put her to bed then head home, sleep here tonight, or head out now and meet up with us later?"

I could feel Mark's arms tighten around me. He sighed. "I think I'm going to stay here tonight. Honestly, I'm more tired than I realized. Chica will be fine for one night." He ran a hand down my shoulder and back. "Besides Danny, someine doesn't seem to want to let me go."

I turned my face up towards his, my eyes still closed. "Shh. I'm sleeping now. Quiet time." I scooted my body around closer to both men, lifting my butt into Danny's lap and basically just laying down across the two of them, pinning them in place. I sighed contentedly after I was comfortable again. "That's better."

Both men chickled very softly again and started rubbing my back and shoulders. I hummed appreciation, falling into a gentle slumber without meaning to, but neither man seemed to mind. My last coherent thoughts before sleep overtook me were how happy both of them seemed to be with me in their laps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love it when I get chapter titles that make me burst out singing or giggling whenever I see them. Last chapter did. This chapter did too. (I might have even danced around a little. XD ) Anyone know where this song is from or who it's by? I do, I'm just curious if it's obscure or not.
> 
> Now, I'm really sorry for the delay on this story. I hit a mental block with the plot and was having trouble figuring out where to go next with things. Plus, my other plotlines hijacked my brain and life has just been blitzkrieging the shit out of me lately. I have no clue when things will settle down for me, so updates are going to be spotty. I will try to update at least two stories a month, with long updates. I can't seem to write a short chapter lately anyway. Meh, I'll do my best to push out an update a week, or every other week if I can, but who really knows at this point. More hospital time (I was in thete for another 9 day stretch with pneumonia and sepsis -- again-- and quite literally nearly died) hasn't helped. I still feel like death, and have no energy, but have been sitting on this nearly finished chapter for WAY too long, so here y'all go!
> 
> Also, I started a fiction with story starters, plot bunnies I might come back and develop more, and alternative timelines for some of my current stories. So, yeah, check that out if you want. So far it's just the first AU of my other poly story, where the reader isn't poly in that iteration and has to make a choice. More will come out in that fiction soon too. 
> 
> And now, in other news, I set up a Patreon. Feel free to check it out (or not). I think I set up some really sweet rewards, but let me know what y'all think! https://www.patreon.com/queengeekrose

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone enjoys my newest story. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave plot suggestions and ideas. Even if I don't use them for this story, I will probably use them in something I write. 
> 
> Have a fab day! ;)


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